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This remarkable piece of inlaid ivory is a hip
ornament from one of the royal enclosures at the
court of Benin. The artists of Benin were without
doubt the finest craftsmen on the African
continent, and still rank among the very highest
echelons of ancient craftsmanship. Their grasp
of
complex technological processes, combined with
a distinctive and visually stunning aesthetic
sense makes their works among the greatest
of African art treasures. The current specimen is
a case in point. A
small yet extremely powerful unit within the
Nigerian Yoruba Empire, the Benin people were
particularly renowned for their innovative
artworks, which were mostly designed to honour
the achievements and/or memory of the Obas,
the divine rulers of the Benin polities. Until the
late 19th century, the Benin centres were a ruling
power in Nigeria, dominating trade routes and
amassing enormous wealth as the military and
economic leaders of their ancient empire. This
changed with the appearance of the British
forces, which coveted the wealth of the royal
palaces and found a series of excuses to mount a
punitive expedition against the Oba’s forces in
1897. It was only at this point, the moment
destruction, that the true achievements of the
Benin polities became apparent to western
scholars. Their metalworking technology was
incredibly advanced, while their sculpting in a
range of materials, including ivory,
was extremely refined.
The masquette is extraordinarily dramatic.
Based around an elongated leopard's head, it is
made from ivory that has developed a very
strong mottled patina of age. The forehead is
high, with leaf-form ears on the apices, folded
on top of the head. The almond-shaped eyes are
rendered in relief, with iron inlay rims and
pupils. The nose is long and slender, with a
gradually-expanding end and a septum that
connects with the upper lip in what is known as
“phlemen behaviour” – when large cats “smell”
the air while in a watchful state. The lower
canines are exposed and curve up to the upper
lip, while the mouth is framed by two sets of
three upcurved whiskers. Most striking, however,
is the fact that – rather than being carved in light
relief, as is conventional on early brass models –
the leopard's rosettes are rendered using inlaid
brass studs that define the main contours of
the face and then fill in all available space in the
blank areas. The polished stud heads make for a
highly dramatic impact. Most of the socially
elevated members of the Oba’s court were
entitled to wear such pieces on their left hips as
part of their stately regalia. They appear in the
form of human and animal heads, but there are
suggestions that the leopard was especially
significant as this is the animal with which the
Oba is most strongly associated in ethnographic
and mythical terms. It should also be noted that
ethnographic and historical reports describe how
most of the courtly notables wore metal hip
ornaments, but that ivory pieces were worn only
by the Oba.
Dating is a key issue that has yet to be fully
resolved. While brass heads and plaques are
relatively diagnostic, theories concerning what
style was first have not been reconciled. To
further confuse matters, these items are mobile
and are therefore not often found associated
with any altars or other contextual information
that might help date them. There are, however,
some indications that might assist in assignation
of age. The first is the ageing of the ivory, which
has turned the orange-red and irregularly
stippled colour of advanced age. Second, the
eyes are inlaid with dark metal rims (iron?), which
is a characteristic seen in many early Benin
bronze pieces. The inlaid metal studs are also
indicative, not only stylistically (it is likely to be a
mark of contemporary innovation, perhaps as a
response to early western contact) but also in
terms of how worn they have become through
time. Judging from the manner in which the
studs are worn, and the relief parts of the face
(nose, teeth and forehead), it is also possible
that an older mask was taken and then inlaid at a
later date. This would explain the erratic wear on
the mask but the even wear on the studs. In any
case, what we have here is an exceptionally rare
and interesting piece of elite royal adornment
from arguably one of the most important
indigenous craft traditions in the world.
- (AM.142 (LSO))
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