Nigeria

Ife Effigy Head of a Queen Cirça 12th to 14th century Terracotta 6 x 3 x 3 in 15 x 8 x 8 cm Yoruba people; Southwestern Nigeria, West Africa This is a very rare, elegant effigy head of a queen with unique tribal facial tattoos, which are very rare in facial scarifications and decoration used by the Ife people. The effigy is surmounted by an elaborate coiffure and crown. This artifact was found in the area of Ife, in the center heartlands of the Yoruba people. This artifact is a very rare and important archeological find from the Ife civilization. The époque of the Ife civilization is presumed to be from the period between the 12th and 15th centuries. The results of thermoluminescence testing conducted by Oxford research laboratory in England reports that this artifact was last fired into its present construction approximately 500 to 800 years ago, which is consistent with the suggested period of the Ife civilization. Provenance: Private French Collection and later purchased by Maxwell Price