African Head (Dahomy Princess)
Entry ID
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6 (04/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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African Head (Dahomy Princess)
Description of the sculpture
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Bronze head of a woman depicted with cropped hair and looking downwards. It is displayed on a two-tier black base, which may not be the original.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Head
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Height: 41.2 cm
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Width: 13.8 cm
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Depth: 26.5 cm
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
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Patination
Overall colour
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Monochrome – brown
Inscriptions
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Back of head: 'Dora Gordine, Paris 3/4'
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: specific individual but not currently identifiable
Attributes
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None
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Adolescent
Status
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Royal
Clothing
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No clothes included (head)
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Calm
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking downwards
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Eyes half-shut
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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c. 1928-1929
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
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Decorative
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Didactic / Propagandistic
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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1994.1_CC0343
Provenance history
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1928/9-1994: in possession of the artist, Dora Gordine
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1994: given to Dorich House Museum by the artist's estate
Notes
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Cast by Valsuani.
Inscription on back records it as casting number 3 of an edition of 4.
Ruth Green Harris, Paris art critic for the New York Times, wrote of this work, 'The head of an African woman is firmly modelled, so strong in its contour that one is moved to touch it, convinced that there is nourishment to be drawn out of the physical contact.'
Related objects
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| African Head (Dahomy Princess) | Related objects | E22 Man-Made Object |
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/37, . and http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/85, . (no date) ‘African Head (Dahomy Princess)’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/197
