Superb beaded work is abundantly evident on this magnificent king’s crown. Conical in shape, the lower portion has two pairs of birds, symbolizing the power of women, with their heads pointed towards the top of the crown. Two abstract faces representing deities, perhaps Ifa or Esu, are done in red and bordered in black and yellow against a white background. Another pair of birds is on the upper section below the great bird on the pinnacle, which stands on a tubular extension in light blue and black. Strands of red and blue beads hang from the rim as a veil. Such crowns are worn during important ceremonies, as at the Odun Oba or festival of the king. The adenla symbolizes the inner spiritual head of the king, and it is the crown itself where royal power is thought to reside. The Oba’s “divine” status is expressed artistically through the energetic configuration of the beads, along with the veil that serves to separate him from the world of mortals.