Figure: Leopard Head

Date:
18th–19th century
Geography:
Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:
Edo peoples
Medium:
Brass, iron
Dimensions:
Height 8-3/4 in.
Classification:
Metal-Sculpture

Ritual Object

Date:
16th–20th century
Geography:
Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:
Edo peoples
Medium:
Brass
Dimensions:
Length 10-1/2 in.
Classification:
Metal-Sculpture

Sword

Date:
19th century
Geography:
Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:
Edo peoples
Medium:
Iron
Dimensions:
Length 28-3/4 in.
Classification:
Metal-Implement

Figure Fragment: Leopard Head

Date:
early 17th century (?)
Geography:
Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:
Edo peoples
Medium:
Brass, pigment (?)
Dimensions:
H. 8 5/8 x W. 7 3/8 x D. 4 1/2 in. (21.9 x 18.8 x 11.4 cm)
Classification:
Metal-Sculpture

" DECLARED MONUMENTS IN NIGERIA

Chief Enogie Aikoriogie's House in Obasagbon:

This house is mainly composed of a courtyard which is all that survives of the original building which was probably built in the second half of the 19th century.

The courtyard is believed to be melted in plan or in structure since it was first built.

There are many features in the building which indicate direct links with the architecture of Benin, these include horizontally fluted walls, the Central impluvium and the carved decoration of features which are not known in Benin: these are the symmetry of the plan having the main entrance door and the main alter on a longitudinal axis and the eight very heavy mud pillars supporting the side lintel walls.
These pillars measure 2 feet 6 inches by 4 feet in plan and are 8 feet high.



Declaration:
Declared Monument on 1st June, 1961 (The house and the compound) "



http://www.nigerianmuseums.org/Enogie.htm




^^^^^

If anyone has or can find any images of this building I would greatly appreciate either a link to the image or information about any sources I can find an image of it from.

@ PhysicsQED plz view my post here: https://www.nairaland.com/326177/tomb-art-ancient-egypt-black/6#10488076

i found this....
http://www.beninculturalheritagecentre.org/projects-building.html

http://www.beninculturalheritagecentre.org/index-2.html

^^^^

As interesting as that looks and as necessary as it probably is, I honestly have to say that I'm not too keen on a Benin Cultural Heritage Center built with non-Benin style architecture. Sure, most of Nigeria, including Benin, has European style architecture now, but some attempt should be made to incorporate Edo architectural elements into the building if it's going to be a permanent and important place.

I recently came across some interesting facts relating to Benin and its architecture.

Two comments by Frank Willett:

"In Benin the houses which still survive from the pre-Expedition period, i.e. which date from before 1897, have large numbers of small impluvia, which allow adequate light to enter, but not too much heat. The thick mud walls also help to keep the building cool; they are thick enough to accommodate cavities which serve as shelves. Major storage, however, is provided by the completely enclosed rooms which lie beneath the ridge-pole." -Frank Willett, African Art: an introduction, p. 131

"Chief Oghiamien, whose house is a national monument, told me that before Western education was introduced one of the main duties of the children of the house used to be to bring clean 'sand' from the river and to help in restoring the weathered surfaces. Now, however, they are in school most of the time, and it is necessary to pay to have this work done, although there are now relatively few workers trained in this old craft. Dmochowski designed a new museum for Benin with an area on the scale and in the style of the King's Palace where works of art intended for the royal cults were to be exhibited, and an area on the scale and in the style of a chief's house for displaying art works of humbler origin. Traditional materials were to be used, with some modernization to inhibit fire, in order to save from extinction the dying craft of wall maintenance. Unfortunately his plan was rejected in favour of a concrete building with totally inappropriate circular rooms." - African Art: an introduction, pp. 132-133

Antiquities from the city of Benin: and from other parts of West Africa in the British Museum by Charles Read and O.M. Dalton
^^^^^

This is a rare, older book I was able to find and look at recently that has some extraordinary pictures of Benin soldiers and dignitaries (in addition to some art depicting other subjects), several of which I have seen in no other books on Benin and which are nowhere on the internet. This book is very slim and has far fewer images of Benin art than most of the larger modern books I've mentioned earlier in this thread, but it has some (unfortunately, black-and-white) very rare images of some very cool and impressive looking people. I may photograph or scan and then post some of the images I'm talking about from this book if I'm able to obtain a personal copy at some point. I just thought I should mention this book as another important (although harder to find) source of great images of Benin art.

People say a picture is worth a thousand words and I have to say I would really prefer it if we as Africans had many more images whether in art or drawings of the soldiers and dignitaries of Mali, Songhai, Nupe, Oyo, Igala, Kwararafa, and other prominent West African kingdoms. It would really be nice if we had more images displaying the level of sophisticated organization we were capable of in the past than what we do have. Even what we have now in terms of images isn't really enough in certain areas (such as architecture) for any African kingdoms except maybe Ashanti, actually.

Well I’ve been spying on this thread for some time and I’m not yet desensitized by the magnificence of these breathtaking masterpieces and can’t help wondering how proud the Binis must be of all these artifacts on display.

@PhysicsQED There are a few recurring motifs I've spotted and I suspect they carry a lot of meaning and symbolism.
Maybe details as to their significance has been posted before so perhaps I can be directed to those pages but I wonder what some of these animal motifs mean i.e. the leopard, snake etc?
Btw Physics I do admire your work here on the culture section and the invaluable information you’ve shared. I’ve learnt so much from your threads.

@PhysicsQED There are a few recurring motifs I've spotted and I suspect they carry a lot of meaning and symbolism.
Maybe details as to their significance has been posted before so perhaps I can be directed to those pages but I wonder what some of these animal motifs mean i.e. the leopard, snake etc?

The leopard - the leopard invariably represents/signifies the Oba of Benin. The Oba is also sometimes addressed as the "leopard of the house" (ekpen n'owa) by Benin titleholders.

The snake - I think the snake is also a reference to power and prowess as well, but there is more to it than that depending on the context.

For example, the art showing snakes or other animals coming out of the nostrils (breath) of men are a reference to the magical powers these people were believed to employ in destroying their enemies.

"The snake and the long-nosed crocodile which appear on the face of the male mask illustrated here (figure 44) are considered to be "hostile" creatures, that is, to have supernatural powers of destruction. The crocodile appears emerging from human nostrils, a reference to the special capacities of especially powerful herbalists to vomit out hostile creatures and dispatch them to destroy their enemies." - Paula Ben-Amos, Art, Innovation, and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Benin, p. 115

[The mask referred to as figure 44 in that book is this one:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/216/nmafamaskbeninkingdomco.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3410/ododuahelmetmask3.jpg]

But from what I've read the snakes that decorated the turrets of the palace were seen as protective symbols.

Btw Physics I do admire your work here on the culture section and the invaluable information you’ve shared. I’ve learnt so much from your threads.

Thanks.

Wow, those Edos make artwork on par or better than Ancient Egyptians.

@PhysicsQED thanks for the info. Were these particular animals with their special status thus perceived as sacred in the Bini Empire at the time?

emöfine2: @PhysicsQED thanks for the info. Were these particular animals with their special status thus perceived as sacred in the Bini Empire at the time?

Well, I can't say for certain what status they would have had, but my personal view is that they were not considered sacred.

There is a story from Egharevba's Short History of Benin about how Oba Ewuare had a leopard and a snake sacrificed every year of his reign, but whether that is factual or not, the very idea of the story (that a leopard and a snake could be slaughtered in the king's honor) suggests that they didn't have any "sacred" status. There are also pieces of Benin art that suggest that leopards were not considered sacred, such as a plaque showing leopards being hunted, and a figurine showing a man pulling a small (perhaps a baby) leopard on a leash as though it were a pet. But for all we know certain communities could actually have seen these animals as sacred.

As for the crocodile, I know that crocodile hide was used sometimes for armor and according to my dad, crocodile meat was eaten decades ago in Benin when he was a kid. (I don't know if it's still eaten in any Edo-speaking areas though.)
So I don't think the crocodile was seen as sacred or something, but like the snake and leopard it was considered special in some way and used to represent people or ideas. But once again, certain communities may have actually seen it as sacred, so I can't be too sure.

Carved images of ram heads were used to represent ancestors among the Edo in earlier times and certain birds were believed to be omens of doom if they cried out, but I don't think these animals were seen as sacred either even if they were seen as having special or unique qualities.

The only animal which seems to have been off limits was possibly the vulture, but I haven't seen anything that indicates that the animal itself was considered sacred. I'm not sure exactly what the taboo was about killing vultures in Benin but I've read that in other places in Africa vultures were not killed because they were seen as useful.

'According to Landolphe, "at the death of a great man, of a fiador or a passador,
he is buried in the apartment he preferred most when living. Before lowering the
corpse into its tomb it is placed on a wicker bier raised about three feet from the
ground. A fire is lighted underneath which melts the fat and dries the body. It is
then carried into a sort of alcove in a sitting posture. It is then built round with
clay in the shape of an altar three feet high. On the top are placed beautiful
elephant tusks each weighing forty to fifty pounds, well carved with images of lizards
and snakes. These tusks are set on crudely carved wooden heads of rams or
bullocks. I saw at least twenty tusks on one of these tombs. The chamber where
the deceased lies is only entered once and that is on the anniversary of his death.
All his friends and relations are present. At the foot of the tomb a small hole is
made about 6 inches square and 18 inches deep, into which libations of palm wine
and brandy are poured ; the kola fruit or cachew is also thrown in, after which an
infinite number of oramus are said, which I never thoroughly understood (II., p. 53)."
" The bunches of coral belonging to the dead are returned to the king, as his office not
being hereditary, his children are not patented until they are twenty years of age and
have done something useful for the state ; besides which, the favour must be
asked for by a majority of the inhabitants of the canton of the father. The body of a
well-to-do man is carried on a litter and is covered with a white cloth. Wailers
follow the corpse, which is carried round the village and then buried. As to the poor
man his body is almost thrown away. Sometimes it is thrown outside the village
into the ditches, where a multitude of vultures devour it. These birds, as big as
turkeys, pace the streets and it is forbidden to kill them because they hurt no one
and destroy lizards and other reptiles [ibid I., p. 54). Of these vultures we are told by
D.R. : " Especially do they fear the birds, and have a great abhorrence for them, and
no man dares do them any harm in any way, for there are men purposely appointed
to give them food, which they carry in a stately manner and with great reverence,
which food when so carried no man may see but those appointed to do it, and every
man makes way and then runs off when he sees these men come to bring the birds food,
and they have a special place so that the birds may always come there for their
food or nourishment." ' - Great Benin (1903), p. 42.



So vultures were off limits, not because they were considered sacred but because they were considered useful. Everything else was probably (though I can't be 100% certain) fair game.

[On a side note, from the above quotes it's clear that it's never a good experience to be poor, no matter what era one is living in, but at least we know from other observers that few people were considered poor in Benin for the majority of the kingdom's pre-colonial existence.]

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/index.html


^^^

This is an interesting and informative site. It's not a substitute for the books I've mentioned earlier as far as learning about Benin, but it has some other things (such as a few videos, and a forthcoming attempt at a 3D reconstruction of the palace).

I encourage anyone interested in Benin's culture and art to check out three sections especially: "Exhibition" "Culture" and "Videos." The Exhibition section, relying on information from previous scholars on Benin gives brief summaries of the significance of several pieces of art and material culture from ancient Benin. The Culture section, although small, has some interesting pictures and information as well. The Video section shows 5 specific palace ceremonies being performed in modern times.

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/exhibition.html

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/culture.html

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/videos.html




It also has a page of suggesting sources of information:

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/resources.html

http://www.conceptvessel.net/iyare/downloads/iyare_print_resources.pdf

.

@PhysicsQED,check out OSARETIN IGHILE'S Oba Ovonramwen. It is a contemporary piece which cannot really be termed 'Benin Art' but it is by extension. It is on display(among other artworks by same artist) at the Skoto Gallery in New York.

bokohalal: @PhysicsQED,check out OSARETIN IGHILE'S Oba Ovonramwen. It is a contemporary piece which cannot really be termed 'Benin Art' but it is by extension. It is on display(among other artworks by same artist) at the Skoto Gallery in New York.

I don't live near NY so I won't be able to go but thanks for the information. I looked him up and his work looks unique and creative from the few pieces that I saw, although the materials seem a bit unusual, especially for the piece you mentioned on Oba Ovonramwen. There's probably a very interesting explanation behind his choice of material for each piece though.

i like the grace and serenity this picture exudes.

[img]http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/citi/images/standard/Exhib/EX_000001/96456_520257.jpg[/img]

Edo
Benin Kingdom, Nigeria


Oba's Fly Wisk (Ugbudian Ivie), 18th/19th century

Coral, agate, and copper
99.5 x 10 x 4 cm (39 1/8 x 3 15/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
The Trustees of the British Museum, London, Af1898,0630.3

Here's a fantastic hour long video from a scholar who has extensively studied the culture and society of Ancient Benin. Even though she is white, she isn't explaining things from her own Western interpretation. She's actually reciting what she was taught by the descendants of the Benin Empire. She breaks down a lot of the customs and goes into great detail, when it comes to the ranks of chiefs. Everything from what they are, to how one becomes one, to their duties. This is a very informative video, and is a must see. If you want to watch it, make sure your chair is comfortable and you have some snacks. Because if you're like me, you'll end up watching the entire thing in one sitting.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4MaBsqbLMw

PhysicsQED:

Sword

Date:
19th century
Geography:
Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:
Edo peoples
Medium:
Iron
Dimensions:
Length 28-3/4 in.
Classification:
Metal-Implement

Wow that's amazing.

These are some great artpieces, Nigerians should take these back from the British, as it is not theirs.

Yoruba Art and Architecture fascinates me. It's so detailed and beautiful. Do the Yoruba still mak and craft such works of art?

Black Kenichi: Yoruba Art and Architecture fascinates me. It's so detailed and beautiful. Do the Yoruba still mak and craft such works of art?

This is Benin/Edo Art my friend, not Yoruba.

Fulaman198:

This is Benin/Edo Art my friend, not Yoruba.

My mistake. Still awesome!

Plaque, possibly 1500s-1600s, brass, Benin Kingdom

This is at the Cleveland Museum of Art right now.

Relief plaque showing a battle scene, Edo peoples, Benin kingdom, Nigeria, 1550-1650, Robert Owen Lehman Collection, Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

(I posted an image of this earlier, but it was a black and white low quality image from an old book.)

A plaque which decorated the palace of the Obas. Benin warriors are depicted in battle. Country of Origin- Nigeria. Culture- Edo. Period- Probably late 17th century