|
This beautiful brass head represents an Oba, one
of the hereditary God-Kings of the ancient
Kingdom of Benin. The head represents a young
man wearing a detailed collar (which acts as the
base of the piece) and an ornate crown that
circles his head and hangs down over his ears
and the nape of the neck to his shoulders. The
face is fairly rounded, with full cheeks, a flat
brow and a wide, flat nose. The eyes are pointed
ovals with round irises that were once inlaid
(probably with iron), and the ears rendered as
geometric shall-like forms. The mouth,
unusually, is open, with full lips, lending a
somewhat surprised expression to his features.
The profile is superb, with the proportions
perfectly observed. His status is further marked
by the inlaid diadem in the centre of the
forehead, and is inferred by the outstanding
artistry of the piece’s execution. This is
heightened by an excellent patina.
In the eyes of the Benin populace, the Obas were
divine beings, and these heads were created after
their demise in order to be displayed on altars
dedicated to their memory. 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 British imperial 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 of
its’ destruction, that the true achievements of
the Benin polities became apparent to western
scholars.
Benin royal palaces comprised a sprawling series
of compounds containing accommodation,
workshops and public buildings. As it grew, the
buildings pertaining to previous Obas were either
partially refurbished or left in favour of newer
constructions; this led to a long history of royal
rule written in sculptural works that rank among
the finest that African cultures have ever
produced; until European advances in the 19th
century, they were the finest bronzes that had
ever been made. Brass or bronze Oba heads
were used to honour the memory of a deceased
king. Typically, the son of the dead king – the
new Oba – would pay tribute to his father by
erecting an altar in his memory. These altars, low
platforms of mud that were arrayed around the
perimeter of the royal courtyards, were
decorated with various artefacts alluding to the
Oba’s achievements in life. These heads were
typically arranged in pairs, each supporting an
elephant’s tusk that was inserted through the
hole in the top of the head. Further decorations
included spears, statues, cast brass altars
depicting the Oba and his followers, brass bells
to awaken the spirits, rattle-staffs (ukhurhe) and
magical objects that included Neolithic celts
(known as “thunder stones”). The new king would
pay homage to his father in this way,
guaranteeing the succession and demonstrating
the continuity of divine kingship.
Stylistically, the Benin heads follow certain
conventions through time, but there are
inconsistencies in all typologies. The current
piece is comparatively naturalistic and -
assuming that we can use the metal heads as a
stylistic guide - probably dates to the earlier part
of the tradition: the seventeenth to early
eighteenth centuries. Taken as a whole, the piece
is remarkably effective, powerful and well-
rendered. In this sense it is a true Benin
masterwork in that it underscores that polity’s
importance to the development of African and
even world art traditions. This piece would take
pride of place in any serious collection of African
art.
- (GC.154 (LSO))
|
