A cast brass figure from Nigeria, in the Ife style according to the collection catalogue. A bald, seated figure blows a long horn while a stool beneath him is carried by four small standing figures.

1. Form and Casting

The central figure sits cross-legged on a cushioned seat, one foot drawn up, with a rounded belly marked by fine incised lines. The head is smooth and bald, with wide, rimmed eyes. Both arms are raised, each with a ring at the wrist, to hold a long, tapering horn to the mouth. Four small figures stand at the corners of a rectangular base and carry the seat on their heads. They wear caps and wrapped skirts and gesture with raised, open hands.

2. Surface

The metal has a warm, dark golden-brown patina, smoother on the large forms and darker in the folds of the seat and the small figures.

3. Origin and Meaning

The collection catalogue describes the piece as cast brass and assigns it, by design and form, to the Ife style. It reads the figure as a herald or messenger. The catalogue records that the figure came to the Kounden chiefdom in the Sultanate of Foumban as a gift, during the time of the present chief's grandfather, to seal a peace after border disputes with neighbouring groups. It was kept as a prestige object, and Kounden gave a bronze throne in return. Because it came from another cultural area, it was not part of ritual practice.

Summary

A cast brass figure of a seated horn-blower carried by four small figures, assigned to the Ife style and kept in Kounden as a peace gift.