Object id
HHTS.2006.16
English designations
Staff Finial
Location
Harewood House Trust, Harewood House Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG
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Iconographies

2 annotations
Oro
Headdress/crown with single projection

Figures wearing a headdress with a single protrusion from the crown of the head, known as the Oro, are found only among the Ọba and a select category of palace dignitaries whose ancestors originated in ancient Ile Ife ( ; Ọbazee 2025, p. 407). Only the Osa and Osuan, custodians of the Uwen and Ora deities, as well as members of the Emuru, who are responsible for the care of Iru vessels, may wear a headdress with the Oro. The identification of different figures is therefore interpreted based on the combination of the Oro with other items of regalia. Artists in the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn and Igbesamwan depicted figures with the Oro on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) and Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks), respectively. The Oro would either be made of coral beads as part of the crown or headdress, or be woven from itoto fibre ( ).

1 annotation
Oro
Colar Bead
Odigba
Coral beaded collar

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie (Inneh 2007, p. 107). Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

1 annotation
Odigba

Provenance

3 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by February 1897 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin from Benin Kingdom.
Auction
May 20, 1969
The object was auctioned to the Harewood House Trust through Christie's and George Lascelles in London.

Institution data

Harewood House Trust
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2023-09-22
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
object id
HHTS.2006.16
description
object type
An African (Nigeria) Benin bronze miniature head
material
Bronze
dimensions
7.3 x 3.4 x 3.2 cm (h x w x d)
provenance
Bought by the 7th Earl of Harewood, from Christie's, London, 20 May 1969
Sensitive Content

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