Lobi Bronze Ring: Depiction of Water Buffalo Head with Bird

Wings spread wide over a tiny bird, with ringed tips pointing at the sky.

This bronze ring depicting a water buffalo head with a bird is Lobi, and dates to the 20th century. It is burkina faso, ivory coast or ghana, west africa. Rings shaped as animals and birds are worn in many West African communities, where creatures often carry associations of strength, protection or status that vary between peoples. Two broad, curving wings rise from a squat base, their edges ribbed with rope-like twists. A small bird figure sits at the center, and each wingtip ends in a flat round knob. The surface is dark and gritty. It is 1.75 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 2.5 high.

A small bird with a very large entrance.