Faces of Africa: Kingdom of Ife at the British Museum

Figure of a king, Ita Yemoo, Ife (late 13th-early 15th century, copper alloy)

Photograph: PR

Curators install a copper seated figure from the late 13th to early 14th century
The kingdom of Ife was a powerful, cosmopolitan city-state in west Africa
Photograph: David Levene

Torso of a king, Wunmonije Compound, Ife (early-mid 16th century, copper alloy)
Ife flourished as a political, spiritual, cultural and economic centre in the 12th–15th centuries
Photograph: PR

Head, Iwinrin Grove, Ife (12th-15th century, terracotta)
The artists of Ife developed a refined, naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta, brass and copper
Photograph: PR

Brass head with crown, Wunmonije Compound, Ife (early 14th century)
The sculptural style they created was unlike anything seen in Africa before
Photograph: PR

Mask called Obalufon, Ife (14th-early 15th century, copper)
The casting process used to create the sculptures was extremely sophisticated
Photograph: PR

Head with elaborate crown, Ita Yemoo, Ife (12th-15th century, terracotta)
The human figures portray a wide cross-section of society
Photograph: PR

Crowned head, Wunmonije Compound, Ife (12th–14th century, copper alloy)
The sculptures include images of youth and old age, health and disease, suffering and serenity
Photograph: PR

Seated figure, Tada, Ife (late 13th–14th century, copper)
The Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from west Africa runs from 4 March to 6 June at the British Museum
Photograph: David Levene