Axial Commons Image Treasury
Carved wooden Hemba head sculpture on a slender neck, wrapped in brown fur and twine, on a dark base against gray.

Ritual Head

A carved wooden head rises on a slender neck above a mass of brown animal fur bound with twine, mounted on a dark square base. The face has a serene expression, a high domed crown, and reddish-brown patina against a plain gray background.

Artist
Hemba
Date
Mid–/late 19th century
Medium
Wood, animal fur (contemporary facsimile based on period examples), and twine
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
843 × 1315 px
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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1900).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Anne Reisse Whipple and Jay Whipple in memory of Wilbur Tuggle

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