This wooden sculpture is part of a set of two doors and a lintel created by the celebrated carver, Olowe of Ise, some of which (not seen here) show the arrival of the first British resident in the area. It is typical of the extraordinary depth and vitality of his carving. Elaborate doors are one of the marks of kingship among the Yoruba people and this work was originally carved for the palace of the Ogoga of Ikere during Olowe's residence there between 1910 and 1914. It was loaned to the Wembley Exhibition in 1924 and subsequently exchanged by the Ogoga for a carved British throne. It shows human faces whose eyes are being pecked out by vultures, a common motif in Nigerian royal art, and probably suggesting the fate of enemies,
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