Located in the western area of Nigeria, the Kingdom of Benin was one of the wealthiest kingdoms of its day. Art from the Kingdom of Benin is some of the most well-known African art in the world today. It is also some of the most controversial. This particular piece is a commemorative head of an oba, or king. In the Edo tradition, the oba is a divine ruler.
Made out of brass, the sculpture is part of Benin’s long history of metallurgy. Early heads tended to be smaller and thinner than the one seen here. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Benin Kingdom traded heavily with Europeans. It was during this time that brass became more widely available and the heads became larger and heavier. The top of the head was made to hold a carved elephant tusk. Ivory carvings were another artistic accomplishment of the kingdom.
During the late 18th century, the British Empire sacked and looted the Kingdom of Benin. When British forces returned to London, many of the looted artifacts were auctioned off as a way to offset the costly venture. These auctions dispersed Benin art amongst collections (both public and private) around the world. Today, there is immense pressure for museums which hold Benin art to return the artifacts to Nigeria.
Benin Artefacts- Edo state Ministry of the ArtsBenin Artefacts- Edo State Ministry of the Arts
The term “Benin artifacts” encompass a wide range of objects. Heads such as the one held by the Eskenazi are some of the most famous, but there are many other artifacts. Pendant masks were another unique type of artifact. This ivory pendant mask is one of a pair of nearly identical works; its counterpart is in the British Museum in London. Although images of women are rare in Benin’s courtly tradition, these two works have come to symbolize the legacy of a dynasty that continues to the present day. The pendant mask is believed to have been produced in the early sixteenth century for the King or ObaEsigie, the king of Benin, to honor his mother, Idia. The oba may have worn it at rites commemorating his mother, although today such pendants are worn at annual ceremonies of spiritual renewal and purification.
In Benin, ivory is related to the color white, a symbol of ritual purity that is associated with Olokun, god of the sea. As the source of extraordinary wealth and fertility, Olokun is the spiritual counterpart of the oba. Ivory is central to the constellation of symbols surrounding Olokun and the oba. Not only is it white, but it is itself Benin’s principle commercial commodity and it helped attract the Portuguese traders who also brought wealth to Benin.
The mask is a sensitive, idealized portrait, depicting its subject with softly modeled features, bearing inlaid metal and carved scarification marks on the forehead, and wearing bands of coral beads below the chin. In the openwork tiara and collar are carved stylized mudfish and the bearded faces of Portuguese. Because they live both on land and in the water, mudfish represent the king’s dual nature as human and divine. Having come from across the seas, the Portuguese were considered denizens of the spirit realm who brought wealth and power to the Oba.
Benin bronzes made from metal mined in west Germany, study finds- The Guardian
As was the case throughout its early days, trade between Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans was complex. The influx of brass from Europeans allowed craftspeople to make larger works; however, the increase of their materials was due to its use in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Metals from Germany were mined and designed for the explicit purpose of purchasing enslaved peoples. It was with these metals that the Kingdom of Benin was able to produce such extravagent and detailed art. Understanding the multi-directional systems of trade complicate our understanding of these artifacts.
The British Museum is full of stolen artifacts- Vox
Benin artwork is held in collections around the world. There are ongoing debates concerning the restitution of these objects (and many others) to their places of origin. This video focuses on the British Museum and its looted Bronzes. Though it presents a focused discussion of one museum, it also highlights how these debates over restitution occur in other museums, with artifacts from all over the world.
