I. Ancestral Heads
1984
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1984
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
I. Ancestral Heads is a 1984 by Tony Phillips, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
Tony Phillips made this print in 1984 as the first plate in a twelve-work series called History of the Benin Bronzes. It shows the brass commemorative heads taken from Benin’s royal court in 1897. Phillips used the etchings to look back at how British papers used fake ‘savage’ stories to justify a violent raid. The brass heads themselves prove the Oba’s sophisticated society. Want to see more? Check out Tony Phillips.
The etching depicts commemorative brass heads of deceased Obas and the Queen Mother, arranged in a shrine dedicated to royal ancestors in Benin City. The heads are adorned with ivory tusks carved with images of former kings, warrior chiefs, soldiers, and animals, each symbolizing royal power.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Tony Phillips made a series of twelve prints in 1984 that blend symbols and everyday scenes.
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