Brass bells have played an important role in Benin courtly society since at least the 16th century, being part of the paraphernalia that was placed upon the altars of deceased Obas as means for contacting the dead. However, this is an unusual version of the standard. It is formed as a high dome, with a handle in the form of an iyoba (queen mother) who is wearing extensive jewellery and other paraphernalia. The body of the bell is adorned with floral motifs and a pair of nude soldiers wearing collars and an array of bracelets/anklets.
The kingdom of Benin produced some of the finest artists and craftsmen in the history of the African continent. Yet this heritage was scarcely recognised until the British punitive expedition of 1897, which destroyed and looted the ancient city compounds and in so doing brought the achievements of Benin to the world’s attention (Bacquart 1998). The foundation of the Benin peoples was contemporary with the European late mediaeval period, when the kingdom of Benin was founded by a descendent of an Ife king in c.1180 AD. In the 15th and 16th centuries AD the power of the empire stretched across most of West Africa, and those areas not under their control were indirectly influenced by the effect of their trade networks and material culture styles. 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.
Benin art was designed to venerate the achievements and/or memory of the Obas, the divine rulers of the Benin polities. Benin work in bronze and copper, ironworking and sculpting in a range of materials that particularly included ivory was extremely refined and effective; indeed, smelting, forging and cire perdue (lost wax) metalworking methods exceeded any seen in Europe until the 19th century. The palace walls were decorated with ornate metal plaques, while dead Obas were honoured by erecting commemorative altars, framed by elephant tusks mounted in brass heads, and further decorated with brass leopards, spears, statues, tableaux (depicting the Oba and his followers) and rattle-staffs (ukhurhe). Perhaps the most unusual items to grace the kingly altars were the bells, which were rung in order to awaken the spirits.
This piece is perplexing as it is outside the parameters of known conventions on Benin bell design. Chronologically, it is likely to lie in the 18th to 19th centuries, as earlier examples tend to be quadrangular. All other elements are discordant. The leaves have no known social significance, while the facial morphology echoes later period heads and plaques. Whatever the historical details, however, this is a dramatic and fascinating piece of African art.
Ezra, K. 1992. Royal Art of Benin: the Perls Colection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, US.
Drewal, J.and Pemberton, J. 1989. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. Abrams, NY, US.
