POGGIATESTA ZOOMORFO Nigeria, sec IX-X Fusione piena in bronzo. Il corpo del quadrupede (cavallo?) poggia sulle quattro zampe con la schiena inarcata verso il basso per dare spazio alla sella-poggiatesta. La testa dell'animale, resa in maniera caricaturale, presenta carattere vagamente umano, con grandi orecchie a trombetta, occhi sgranati e bocca semiaperta, mentre zampe, collo e coda sono decorati a rilievo con motivi geometrici di spirali, linee e zigzag. La superficie risulta coperta da una bella patina verde con lievi mancanze dovute a scagliatura del bronzo su gambe e coda, probabilmente dovute alla lunga permanenza in ambiente ipogeo. Sebbene il manufatto presenti un decoro piuttosto sobrio, alcuni dettagli stilistici (occhi rotondi e "concentrici", spirali, postura d'insieme) riportano alle fusioni in bronzo ad alto tenore di piombo conservate nel museo di Lagos. AN IGBO-UKWO ZOOMORPHIC HEADREST Nigeria, 19th-20th centuries Bronze cast. The body of the quadruped animal (possibly a horse) rests on its four legs with its back arched downwards to give space for the saddle-shaped headrest. The head of the animal, executed in a caricatured manner, presents a vaguely human character with large trumpet shaped ears, wide open eyes, a half open mouth, while the hooves, neck and tail are decorated with geometric motif reliefs, spirals, striations and zigzag forms, that are covered in a fine green patina with light bronze flaking on the legs and tail, probably due to the long period that it was located underground. Although the item has a relatively sober decoration, certain stylistic details (circular "concentric" eyes, spirals and the actual positioning of the details) remind one of the leaded bronze casts that are conserved in the Lagos Museum. Dim. 25 x 10 cm.
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