Lucy Truman Aldrich donated the Head of a King (Oba) to the RISD Museum in 1939. Provenance research indicates that the object was purchased from the Knoedler Gallery in New York in 1935. A sticker reading “Imported from France” and a French customs stamp (“Douane France”) on the interior of the head suggest that it was held in a collection in France prior to the sale. Between the time it left the Benin Kingdom and then, its ownership history remains unknown. As an important element of the ancestral altar during the installation ceremonies of the incoming oba, this honorific head would not have been available for legitimate sale.
The deaccession of the revered bronze is the first step in the still-to-be-determined process of returning it to its rightful owner. To that end, the RISD Museum made this decision in preparation for restitution, which museum staff anticipate moving forward once the appropriate process is established. While they are working diligently on that process, the Head of a King (Oba) will be housed and cared for in the RISD Museum and on view in the galleries with updated labels disclosing its provenance.