Figure

Item number K2.444 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Oba's (ruler's) head with Oba's bead headdress and collar. The face has large eyes, a nose, and two lips. The rounded headdress has a horizontal brick-like pattern and is decorated with a flat protrusion curving upward and forward, and having curved grooves and ridges at each side. A set of four spikes is at each side of the head at the bottom ends of these flat curving protrusions.

History Of Use

Heads figures were created to commemorate the dead. Different materials represented different types of individuals being commemorated. Bronze heads were produced by the royal guild of bronze casters, and they were made for a member of the court. Terracotta heads were used by bronze casters to commemorate their own ancestors, while chiefs used wood. The memorial head tradition became significant in the 16th century, and over time they became more stylistic and elaborate.

Cultural Context

Memorial cult of Benin Oba (ruler), would be placed on an altar to his memory.

Specific Techniques

Made with the cire-perdue or lost-wax method. The mould is made of beeswax, covered with clay, and then fired. The wax melts and the hollow clay cast is then filled with scraps of copper-based alloy, before being fired for a second time. XRF analysis suggests the piece is made of brass with a high bismuth content, typical of the 18-19th centuries.

Iconographic Meaning

The brick patterns on the headdress are meant to depict coral beads, which typically adorn the bodies of court officials. Historically, only the Oba had the authority to grant permission to others to wear coral beads. According to oral history, during the 13th and 14th centuries, Oba Ewuare I was believed to have defeated the water goddess Olokun in a fight. She then gifted him corals from the river and told him to give them to his chiefs. Corals are still worn in Benin City today, however it is a common part of attire worn among many ethnic groups in the region. In royal ceremonies, coral beads are still significant.