Fuloni.jpg (17915 bytes)
Figure of an Oni
Early 14th/early 15th century
Brass
This statue of an Oni, dated by thermoluminescence, is the only unbroken full-length "bronze" standing figure discovered in Ife to date.   He wears the traditional regalia:a crown, a heavy beaded collar around the neck, a heavy rope of beads around the outer edge of the trunk, finer necklaces covering the chest with a double bow in the center - a badge of his office as King.  In his left hand he holds a rams horn filled with magical substances (called ashe) and in his right a sceptre made of beads and cloth, both symbols of his authority and power.  The head is about a quarter of the overall height of the figure, a proportion characteristic especially of the African sculpture.