Provenance

3 events

Production

unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)

The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igbesamwan 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

July 8, 1974

The object was auctioned to the Hunt Museum through Sotheby's in London.

Institution data

Hunt Museum

The data was transferred directly by the institution.

Last updated: 2021-04-15

Language: english

Institution field	Value
object_number object id	JB 008
object_name designation object type	ceremonial mask
title designation	Leopards head ornament
description description	This ivory and lead leopard’s head is an Edo ceremonial costume attachment from the royal court of Benin, now incorporated into the modern republic of Nigeria. This attachment is a hip ornament in elephant ivory, with inlaid lead representing the spots of the leopard. It is framed at the base by an ornamental flange of concentric circles. The slanted eyes, overlapping fangs and foliate-pattern ears are characteristic of Edo leopard carvings. This mask comes from the earliest known phase of Benin craftsmanship. Kingdom of Benin, Edo tribe . The Edo or Benin people are an Edoid ethnic group primarily found in Edo State, Nigeria. Speaking the Edo language, they are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire. The Edo were the principal tribe of the ancient kingdom of Benin, ruled by an Oba, the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people and head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Benin kingdom. The royal art of Benin, honours the Oba and his ancestors and is predominantly made up of works in cast brass and carved ivory. Traditional Edo art consists of sculptures, plaques and masks which reflect various spiritual and historical aspects of their rich cultural traditions. Some of the most notable Edo art pieces are known as the Benin Bronzes While bronze hip ornaments are worn by senior chiefs, those in ivory are the sole prerogative of the Oba. This oval attachment is in elephant ivory, with inlaid lead representing the leopard’s spots. A hip ornament, usually worn singly over the left hip to adorn the closure of a sarong. Benin art became known generally to Europeans in 1897, after the sack and looting of Benin by a British Punitive Expedition , sent in that year to punish the Oba for the murder of a British Vice-Consul. The British force, under the command of Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, exiled the then Oba Ovonramwen, taking control of the area to establish the British colony of Nigeria. The expedition was mounted to avenge the defeat by the Binis of a British invasion force that had previously violated Benin territory in 1896. It consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers, and is still remembered by the Edos with horror today. The number of Edo killed are unknown but acknowledged as very numerous. Under the pretext of covering for the cost of the expedition , the Benin royal art was stolen and auctioned off by the British. Ovonramwen died in 1914, his throne never having been restored to him. His son, grandson and now his great-grandson, however, all preserved their title and status as traditional rulers in modern-day Nigeria. It is assumed that this ornament formed part of the vast quantity of brass and ivory carvings that were stolen from the royal place. The objects were subsequently sold by auction in Britain to pay for the expedition . It has been assumed this mask was among the group of over 200 objects bought by general Augustus Pitt-Rivers(1827 - 1900). However, if this is the case, it would have to have been in his private collection, as the Pitt Rivers had not deaccessioned any of their collection in the 20th century according to correspondence on file. The story of the Benin Bronzes is at the heart of an ongoing debate about cultural restitution.
physical_description description	This lead and ivory head of a leopard is an Edo ceremonial costume attachment from the royal court of Benin, now incorporated into the modern republic of Nigeria. This attachment is a hip ornament in elephant ivory, with inlaid lead representing the spots of the leopard. It is framed at the base by an ornamental flange of concentric circles. The slanted eyes, overlapping fangs and foliate-pattern ears are characteristic of Edo leopard carvings. This mask comes from the earliest known phase of Benin craftsmanship. Kingdom of Benin, Edo tribe .
material material	Ivory
dimension.type dimensions	H 18.5 x W 10 x D 4.4
production.date.end date made	1800
production.date.start date made	1400
production.period date made	15th to 19th century AD
creator producer	unknown Benin (ancient Nigerian)
technique production technique	Ivory Carving
object_history_note provenance	File of material relating to a leopards head mask. Includes photocopy of information card with photocopy of image of object (date unspecified). Object attributed here to Benin and dated to the fifteenth century but annotation in the hand of Michael Holland, Registrar, Hunt Museum, questions this date and states that it might date from the nineteenth century. Reference also to the fact that image and description of the object are published in ’50 Treasures from the Hunt Collection’ (Limerick: Hunt Museum Executive, 1993) by Patrick Doran; letter (24 February 2000) from Jeremy Coote, Pitt Rivers Museum, South parks road, Oxford, to a docent (name withheld), Hunt Museum, enclosing details of masks from Benin held by the Pitt Rivers Museum; photocopy of extract of Sotheby's catalogue of sale (c. 8 July 1974) containing image and description of a bronze Benin leopard mask.
owner_hist.auction provenance	Sotheby's July 8th 1974 (possibly?)
field_coll.place place collected	Benin
collection department and institution	Africa, Asia and the Americas
institution.name department and institution	The Hunt Museum
rights.holder department and institution	Hunt Museum
rights.notes license	http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
rights.type license	Public Domain
reproduction.original_file_name images	JB_008_Benin_mask_1.png
digital_reference weblink	https://www.huntmuseum.com/collection/leopards-head-ornament/
administration_name	Collections
content.classification.scheme	http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300047090
content.motif.general	sculpture
current_location.context	DC 28/SH 02/Centre/Wall Mounted
field_coll.notes	http://vocab.getty.edu/page/tgn/7015576
grid.X_reference	06 30 00
grid.X_reference.addition	N
grid.Y_reference	006 00 00
grid.Y_reference.addition	E
location.default.context	DC 28/SH 02/Centre/Wall Mounted
location.default.name	DC 28/SH 02/Centre/Wall Mounted
object_category	Costume
object_name.notes	http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300263916
production.date.notes	https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin-historical-kingdom-West-Africa
production.notes	http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500355199
record_type	OBJECT
technique.notes	http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300047325
title.language	en

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