The ceremonial object exhibited here is one of the outstanding metal sculptures cast by the Edo people in the former Kingdom of Benin that have collectively become known as the »Benin Bronzes«. At the time the sculpture was made, the kingdom had already emerged as one of the most influential and advanced states west of the River Niger. In 1897, the British occupied the Kingdom of Benin by force. The cast represents an Oba, the highest political and spiritual ruler of the Edo. He is presented in his ceremonial finery. This is far more than a portrait made in remembrance, as the human head and its depiction have a special significance in the Edo faith. Crowned by a tusk, this memorial head was originally part of a larger shrine of ancestors. These shrines were installed in the Royal Palace as they are again today, and on occasion decorated the homes of high-ranking nobles in Benin City. In a punitive expedition which went down in history as the Massacre of Benin, British troops pillaged and sacked large parts of the city in 1897. While it is not known how many of the inhabitants of Benin City were killed, there is greater clarity about the number of artworks that the British carried away as booty: Estimates speak of no less than between some 3,500 and 4,000 objects that were stolen from the Royal Palace. These looted objects were shipped to London, where they were in large part auctioned off to make money. German museums were among the largest of the groups of buyers, meaning they, like the British colonial powers, benefited from the plundering. Hamburg was the primary location where the »Benin Bronzes« changed hands, initiated by the then Director of the Arts & Crafts Museum Justus Brinckmann, who acted as a go-between; Folkwang founder Karl Ernst Osthaus was a trainee under him in 1899 and Brinckmann’s concept of a collection was the role model for Museum Folkwang. It has not yet been established exactly how the portrait head shown here came to be in the collection in Essen. According to the inventory ledger, it was gifted anonymously to Museum Folkwang in 1932. This raises the question of whether the gift was made in the context of the colonial exhibition held in 1931 in Essen and/or the activities of the German Colonial Dept., Essen section. The »Benin Bronzes« are of outstanding importance for the cultural identity and history of the Edo people; they have become a symbol of the trauma that was inflicted on people by the European colonial powers. Like his predecessors, the current Oba – His Royal Highness Ewaure II – has therefore continued the efforts to ensure the restitution and/or return of the looted objects since his coronation in 2016. A key, successful step in the dialogue between the State Government of Edo State and a group of European museums is the planning of a new art museum, the Edo Museum of West African Art. The preliminary excavations at the site are scheduled to begin in 2021. Museum Folkwang acknowledges that with the additions to its collections and their presentation it was instrumental in ensuring objects from various world cultures were shipped to Europe and in spreading racist and stereotyped notions. We are doing our utmost to appropriately present our colonial heritage. (ne)