Provenance

1 events

Restitution

July 15, 2024

The object was restituted by the Stanley Museum of Art, University of Iowa to the Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ọba of Benin & National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria through Peju Layiwola and Cory Gundlach from Iowa City to Nigeria.

Institution data

Stanley Museum of Art, University of Iowa

The data was transferred directly by the institution.

Last updated: 2021-01-08

Language: english

Institution field	Value
Accession Number object id	X1986.316
Title designation object type	Hen
Label/0/Label Copy description	Over 4,000 works of art were seized from Benin during the British Punitive Expedition of 1897. A third of these pieces were subsequently sold in London to compensate for the costs of the expedition . This hen, which once adorned a shrine in the Benin kingdom, was sold through the W.O. Webster auction house to the Pitt-Rivers Museum of Great Britain by the year 1900. That museum is significant in the evolution of European perceptions of African objects for it was one of the first to exhibit African objects. Its displays were arranged according to a belief in Social Darwinism: objects were grouped according to the perceived level of civilization of their creators.
Dimensions dimensions	19 x 8 x 11 in. (48.26 x 20.32 x 27.94 cm)
Creation Date date made
Artist - Sort Name producer	Benin
Continent production place	Africa
Country production place	Nigeria
Region production place	Western Africa
Credit Line prior source	The Stanley Collection of African Art
Source prior source	Stanley, Maxwell; Stanley, Maxwell
Provenance provenance	Collection of the University of Iowa Museum of Art, 1986. Collection of C.M. Stanley, Muscatine, IA. Purchased from Mamadou Koita, April, 1978. Ex-collection Pitt-Rivers of Great Britain. This piece carries the inscription BENIN, WBSTR 1899 upon the back of the base. On the bottom of the base, it has the inscription BENIN W. AFRICA WBSTR 1899. I understand it to have been for many years a part of the Webster collection in Great Britain.
Culture ethnic attribution	Benin
Comments notes	Description: Hen carved from one piece of wood; dark brown surface coloration. There is an iron nail at the outer side of the PL foot. Inscribed on the reverse: “Benin. WBSTR:1899 ” Bottom is inscribed: Benin. W. Africa. WBSTR 1899. CMS316 is applied in red ink on both the side and the bottom. Wooden hens carved in the Benin court style are placed on altars commemorating the mothers of secondary chiefs of the Benin City state. "In this context, the hen is also a symbol of femininity (hens are sacrificed to maternal ancestors, cocks to paternal)" (Ben-Amos 1978). The post which projects from the back of the hen once supported a small elephant's tusk (Fagg 1968:no.150). The geometric patterns carved into the surface of the figure represent the bird's feathers. "The design on the base is a kind of trademark of the carver's guild ("igbesanmwan") and is called "oba n'iri agbon", the pattern of the rope of the world. It symbolizes infinity/endless wisdom of the ancestors" (Ben-Amos 1978). The significance of the forms which sweep downward from the post, on either side of the body, has been the subject of some speculation (Pitt-Rivers 1900:84), although they appear to represent the bird's wings held in the mating gesture with tips brushing the ground. This piece was appropriated by members of the British punitive expedition which sacked and burned Benin in 1897. It is illustrated in the catalog of the Pitt-Rivers collection of objects from Benin (1900: nos. 320,321). The hen's crest has been broken off, probably at the time the piece was removed from Benin. -Christopher Roy
Notes notes
Exhibitions exhibition history	Art and Life in Africa, Black Box Theater, IMU, Iowa City, Iowa, February 22 – June 15, 2014. African Galleries Reinstall, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, January 2007 - January 2008. African Art, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, September 2001 - January 2008. Stanley II Gallery, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, July 29, 2000. Journeys: Life Stories of African Art, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, March 31 - July 30, 1995. Art & Life in Africa, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, March 1994. Art & Life in Africa, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, September 19, 1992 – February 1, 1993. Art and Life in Africa: Selections from the Permanent Collection, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, April 18, 1992 – August 2, 1992. Birth and Death, Stanley II, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, September 1990. Forms and Functions of African Art, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan and the Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan, January 27 - June 10, 1990. African Sculpture: The Stanley Collection, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa, April 21 – September 9, 1979.
Bib bibliography	Roy, Christopher D. African Sculpture: The Stanley Collection. Iowa City, Iowa: Museum, 1979. No. 79.
Condition/0/Condition report condition	Old cracks in front and back of socle, both cracks are stable. On PR of hen there is old open crack going down into leg, stable. Small old slightly open crack down neck, should be watched. Losses to PR neck, PR eye. Old loss to PL spur, back PL wing. Stable safe to travel.
Condition/0/Examination Date condition	29082016
Condition/0/Examined by condition	Katherine Wilson
Condition/0/Propose Treatment condition
Condition/1/Condition report condition	There is an old, repaired break at the front of the socle that still moves when touched. The wood here has probably been compressed and shrank over time so that both ends of the detached piece cannot be rejoined and made flush. There will always be a gap at the join lines. There is an adhesive inside the join that looks like an emulsion. There is another old crack at the back of the socle. On the PR side of the hen, there is old, open cracking which appears to be stable. At the neck, there is a crack, that is only slightly open, but that moves when compressed. This crack could become a break in time. There are old losses at the back of the legs in the "spurs", and at the PR side of the front of the neck. Small chips losses occur at the top of the PR eye, within the crack at the neck, in the comb, at the front feather in the PL wing, the tip of the back feather on the PR side and around the perimeter of the bottom. Gouges are present on the central prong that extends from the hen's back. The piece is somewhat dusty. In areas on the front surface, there appears to be specks of residual adhesive from the previous repair. Across much of the bottom, there is a thin film of adhesive that is cracking a pulling away from the surface. The film of adhesive spreads onto the side of the base on the PL side. There is some green exhibition paint on the bottom edge of the piece and on the tips of the center feathers in the PL wing.
Condition/1/Examination Date condition	5072011
Condition/1/Examined by condition	Dana Moffett
Condition/1/Propose Treatment condition	1) Reverse old mend at front and clean residual adhesive off of break lines. 2) Re-execute mend using a bulked adhesive to hold the detached fragment in the proper alignment at the feet. Complete filling of the gap would cause a distortion in the geometric pattern around the perimeter of the base, especially on the PL side. 3) Inject adhesive into crack at neck to secure against breakage. Tone to blend with surround surfaces. 4) Dust; remove any old adhesive and exhibition paint on the outer surfaces.
Condition/1/Treatment report condition	1Closer inspection of the interior of the join suggests the piece may be held together with a single nail making reversal of the join unadvisable. Alternative ly, Acryloid B72 adhesive (ethyl methacrylate copolymer) bulked with cellulose powder was injected in three places within the crack to secure against movement. The uppermost area of injection was placed at the nail. The bulked adhesive is easily reversible with acetone. 2)Green paint throughout was softened using Carbopol 941 in acetone and removed with a scalpel. The adhesive film on the side of the base was removed with a scalpel. 3)The object was cleaned using a soft brush and a vacuum. NOTE: This treatment is not complete. Securing fills need to be toned with paint.
Condition/2/Condition report condition	Survey report: There is an old, repaired break at the front of the socle that still moves when touched. The wood here has probably been compressed and shrank over time so that both ends of the detached piece cannot be rejoined and made flush. There will always be a gap at the join lines. There is an adhesive inside the join that looks like an emulsion. There is another old crack at the back of the socle. On the PR side of the hen, there is old, open cracking which appears to be stable. AT the neck, there is a crack, that is only slightly open, but that moves when compressed. This crack could become a break in time. The piece is somewhat dusty.
Condition/2/Examination Date condition	2122007
Condition/2/Examined by condition	Dana Moffett
Condition/2/Propose Treatment condition	1) Reverse old mend at front and clean residual adhesive off of break lines. 2) Re-execute mend using a bulked adhesive to hold the detached fragment in the proper alignment at the feet. Complete filling of the gap would cause a distortion in the geometric pattern around the perimeter of the base, especially on the PL side. 3) Inject adhesive into crack at neck to secure against breakage. 4) Dust. Estimated treatment time 10 hours.
Condition/3/Condition report condition	#55: There is a split in the base that extends from the front P.L. to the P.R. side and shows signs of repair. There is a large crack, app. 10.0 cm, on the P.R. wing. On the P.R. side of the post on the top of the hen is a crack. On the post on the P.
Condition/3/Examination Date condition	10061990
Condition/3/Examined by condition	Donald Jeff Martin
Condition/4/Condition report condition	Three large cracks in base. 12" crack on left side. 3" crack on right side. Several cracks around projection on top. 5" crack around top of neck. Normal wear.
Category/0	African
Category/1
Category2	Woodwork
Condition/4/Examination Date	15041986
Curator who accessioned the work
Keywords	government;chickens;deaths;
Label/0/Curator	na
Label/0/Exhibition	na
Label/0/Year	na
Label/1/Curator	Catherine Hale
Label/1/Exhibition	Art and Life in Africa
Label/1/Label Copy	Nigeria; Benin Kingdom Hen Wood H. 46.3 cm (18 ¼”) The University of Iowa Museum of Art, The Stanley Collection, X1986.316 Wooden hens carved in the Benin court style are placed on altars commemorating the mothers of secondary chiefs of the Benin City state. “In this context, the hen is also a symbol of femininity (hens are sacrificed to maternal ancestors, cocks to paternal)” (Ben-Amos 1978). The post which projects from the back of the hen once supported a small elephant’s tusk (Fagg 1968: no. 150). The geometric patterns carved into the surface of the figure represent the bird’s feathers. “The design on the base is a kind of trademark of the carver’s guild ("igbesanmwan") and is called "oba n’iri agbon", the pattern of the rope of the world. It symbolizes infinity/endless wisdom of the ancestors” (Ben-Amos 1978). The significance of the forms which sweep downward from the post, on either side of the body, has been the subject of some speculation (Pitt-Rivers 1900: 84), although they appear to represent the bird’s wings held in the mating gesture with tips brushing the ground. This piece was appropriated by members of the British punitive expedition , which sacked and burned Benin in 1897. It is illustrated in the catalog of the Pitt-Rivers collection of objects from Benin (1900: nos. 320, 321). The hen’s crest has been broken off, probably at the time the piece was removed from Benin. (Christopher Roy)
Label/1/Year	2014
Media & Support	Wood, iron
Temp ID	277,1986
ULAN ID	500355199

Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here

Provenance

Related archival documents

Institution data