Ife Commemorative Effigy Head of Dignitary, Circa
Ife Commemorative Effigy Head of Dignitary Cirça 1244 AD Terracotta 7 x 3 1/2 x 4 in 18 x 9 x 10 cm Yoruba people; Southwestern Nigeria, West Africa This artifact was found in the area of Ife, in the center heartlands of the Yoruba; people of Nigeria, West Africa. This is a very elegant effigy head of a dignitary with characteristics of parallel facial striations, which were traditional facial scarifications used by the Ife people. Provenance: This artifact is a very rare, important archeological find from the Ife civilization. The époque of the Ife civilization is estimated to be from the period between the 12th – 15th centuries. The results of thermoluminescence testing (report number: 19R030519) conducted by the Kotalla Laboratory research facilities in Germany reported the sampling was taken from the back of the left ear and shows that this artifact was last fired into its present construction approximately 750–800 years ago, actual date reported 1244 AD, which is consistent with the suggested period of the Ife civilization. later purchased by Maxwell Price