Accession book entry: : HUGH NEVINS ESQ., ... CO. WATERFORD, EIRE. - S. NIGERIA, BENIN. Terra cotta head, hollow & open at top. Very prognathus. Large almond-shaped eyes. Ears damaged. Representation of coral-bead collar. Height 21 cm. Max. width 18.5 cm.; Accession book entry: : [added] - See file 'Hugh Nevins', 001.5.4; Accession book entry: : [added] - [in pencil] In safe; Accession book entry: : [added] - Ref. Art from the Guinea Coast p.10 number 67 and photo.; Card Catalogue entry: : No additional information on catalogue index cards. [JC 7 8 1997]; Documentation: : Correspondence with donor in RDF. See also Collectors file.
Research Notes: This is one of a number of terracotta heads obtained by Nevins in Benin. The rest were sold to the Wellcome and thence were sold to the British Museum and the Nigerian Museum, Lagos. Nevins's notes on the heads were sent to William Fagg. Nevins wrote to Bernard Fagg on 22 August 1966: 'The collection brought back from Benin was from the site of a kiln in the Bronze Founders quarter & they all were I imagine rejects[,] all were imperfect & the one I kept [i.e. 1967.45.1] was the best. The reason I am anxious to recover the papers sent to your brother [i.e. William Fagg] at the Br[itish] Museum is because they contained notes made at the time regarding the making etc of the heads as described by the maker. I kept no copy of these notes.' (For this and other correspondence, see RDF.) [JC 7 8 1997]
Archaological / Ethnographic
Archival documentation ID
Class
Class: Figure; Class: Religion; Class: Pottery
Collection Type
Object
Related Collections
Related collection: Photographs and papers from Nevins in PRM Archive.