Attribution Incomplete Notice
Collections and items in our institution have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing attribution. We are using this notice to clearly identify this material so that it can be updated, or corrected by communities of origin. Our institution is committed to collaboration and partnerships to address this problem of incorrect or missing attribution.
Open to Collaborate Notice
Our institution is committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future heritage collections.
Traditional Knowledge Notice
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Artwork Details
Culture
Creation Date
Materials
Object Types
Dimensions
12-3/4 x 6 x 5-1/4 in.
Accession Number
Credit Line
Martha Delzell Memorial Fund, Gift of the Alliance of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Russell and Becky Curtis Art Purchase Endowment Fund and Lucille Stewart Endowed Art Fund
Copyright
Collection
Color Palette
Gallery Labels
This distinctive two-headed, two-faced type of headpiece was documented in the 1950s as an innovation of the carver Ochai, from the village of Otobi. This carving may have been made either by Ochai or by an artist working in his style. Countering the assumption of anonymity in traditional African art, this headpiece exemplifies an individual artistic vision and stylistic change from one generation to the next.
Headpieces of this type were worn during the funerals of important persons. The man wearing the headpiece would have been concealed with a full body garment. The design of Janus, or opposing faces, may refer either to the ubiquity of deities or to dualties such as male and female, or good and evil.
More from the Collection
Content Disclaimer and Usage Rights
Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
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