The pre-renaissance classical scuptures of Ife were made between 1100 and 1500 AD and they are comparable to the Mesoamerican carvings and sculptures of the Aztec and the fine art works of the high renaissance in importance. Ife was and is still is the spiritual heartland of the Yorubas of Nigeria. Today Ife is urbanised and has a population of about half a million.
Ife sculptures are characterised by their realism, a deviation from the stereotypical abstract art of Africa. The Ife life sized sculptures and figurines are made from terracotta, bronze, brass and copper-alloy and represent people in Ife, figures of royalty and deities.
These humanistic sculptures have not been spared the curse of looting and theft that resource poor areas of the world suffer from. Controversy surrounds the most famous “Ife head” sculpture “Olokun” – the Head of the Sea god. The original which dates back to the 14th century has been lost and replaced by a 20th century version. The whereabouts of the original is still unknown.
In 1910 the German archeologist Leo Frobenius was so taken in by one of the sculptors that he thought he had seen the face of Poseidon, an ancient Greek goddess.
Interest in Ife sculptures is suddenly piquing on the art scene across the world, just as interest in the Terracotta army of China and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s body in Egypt did in the last decade. Such intense interest brings along with it questions and challenges. Leo Frobenius and many others have questioned if these sculptures are truly from Ife. Were Africans really using the lost-wax process which became widespread in Europe in the 18th century as far back in the 11th – 15th century? To some the “refined” and “sophisticated” techniques in making these sculptures are “un-African” and do not conform to the views held by those who see African art through “different” lenses.
To the Ooni of Ife (traditional ruler of Ife), the Yorubas and Africans in general, the Ife sculptures are as African and as old as African traditional religion. These sculptures had and still have some real functional attributes; they were not made purely for their aesthetic looks.
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria has made some of its collection of Ife sculptures available to museums including the British Museum. For those in the UK (London) the British Museum will be exhibiting Ife sculptures from 4th March – 6th June 2010.
Nii Thompson
