Number
МАЭ № 595-4
English designations
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
University Embankment, 3, St Petersburg, Russia, 199034
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Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head

Iconographies

5 annotations
Ititi ako
Star beads

The Ititi ako is a cluster of coral beads, usually three or four, attached to a pin and used to embellish the royal crowns on Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads) and Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ (pendant masks). These bead clusters are also known as star beads, which indicate the prosperous destiny of an individual or wearer. Apart from enhancing the appearance of the wearer, they also represent the individual’s high social status. Judging from their presence on a variety of head sculptures, both men and women wore Ititi ako.

1 annotation
Ititi ako
Udahae
Beaded forehead band

The Udahae is a forehead band made from coral beads and worn by chiefs. Sometimes a white Igan (feather) from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) is tucked into the left side of the Udahae. According to Benin oral tradition, the Udahae was introduced by Ọba Ezoti, the first son of Ọba Ewuare I. During his coronation, Ezoti was shot in the forehead with a poisoned arrow. To stop the bleeding, a band of red beads was wrapped around his forehead while he made public appearances. Fourteen days later, he died from his wound. Since then, Benin chiefs have worn the red-beaded Udahae around their foreheads to commemorate the cap used by Ezoti to stop the bleeding (Egharevba 1968, p. 21).

1 annotation
Udahae
Ikharo
Forehead markings

Ikharo are linear keloid markings depicted on the forehead of Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads) in groups of three or four above each eye. The exact meaning of Ikharo is debated; some have argued that they relate to the gender or tribal identification of the person on whom they are depicted. For example, has argued that they were worn only by men; however, their use in depictions is not consistent with this, and the Iy’Ọba are also shown wearing them. argued that they are instead a stylistic feature employed by artists that varied over time.

The naming of these markings differs between publications. For example, describe these markings as “agbaguda n'ehae”, which they write translates literally as “blades of the forehead”. However, later went on to call these “ikharo”, as used here. referred to these forehead markings as ikharo, meaning “tribal mark [of eye]”.

1 annotation
Ikharo
Ukpẹ ọkhọkhọ
Curved conical hairstyle worn by Iy'Ọba

The Ukpẹ ọkhọkhọ is a distinctive hairstyle and coral-beaded headdress worn by the Iy’Ọba. The headdress includes a projection called the ‘ede Iy’Ọba’, which indicates that “her spiritual potentialities are closer in quality to those of her ruling son than they are to the powers of the nobles” (Aigbe Eson and Ihama Iguneronmwon in Blackmun 1991, p. 60). The Iy’Ọba’s hairstyle and headdress are meant to resemble ukpe-okhue, or the curved parrot’s beak (Kaplan 1993).

Barbara Blackmun (1991, p. 60) argued that “Benin art is multivocal, and any depiction of the Iye Ọba [sic] is a reference to Idia. Every woman who holds the office of lye Ọba plays the part of Idia, the ideal model of an Ọba’s mother.” Wearing the Ukpẹ ọkhọkhọ is one of the ways the Iy’Ọba plays the role of Idia.

1 annotation
Ukpẹ ọkhọkhọ
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

4 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.
Unknown
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to 1900
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer, later in Leipzig.
Donation
1900
The object was donated by Hans Meyer to the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) from Leipzig to Saint Petersburg.

Institution data

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera)
The data was retrieved from the institution's website.
Last updated: 2021-02-19
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Number
object id
МАЭ № 595-4
Title
designation
Image of the head of the mother of ruler Oba
Annotation
description
In African states, the rank of the queen-mother was one of the highest, and her rights were almost the same as those of the main ruler of the city. She disposed of the life and death of her subjects; she was given the same honor as the king. The tradition of casting bronze heads of kings and queens for altars is considered the oldest in Benin's unique palace art. The depictions of these heads were not realistic portraits, but rather symbolic icons; this is the so-called idealizing naturalism. Usually the rulers and their mothers were not so much depicted as they were designated. The Queen Mother is shown a traditional coral mesh hairdo. Such heads were made using the so-called “lost wax technique”. First, the earthen block was covered with wax and shaped into the desired shape. Clay was put on top of it and heated. The wax was leaking out and a metal alloy was poured in instead. It is usually called Benin bronze, but it is closer in composition to brass. Heads and other items of court art were created by professional artisans by order of the royal court. They often formed corporations and lived in special neighborhoods.
Material
material
bronze, clay (?)
The size
dimensions
Height - 46.0; base diameter - 23.5; head diameter - 17.0.
Date
date made
XVIII century
Geographical localization of the place of creation
production place
Nigeria
Place of creation
production place
Nigeria
Collectors-person
prior source
Meyer Hans (22 March 1858 - 5 July 1929)
Ethnicity
ethnic attribution
edo
Publications
bibliography
Olderogge Dmitry Alekseevich Antiquities of Benin, II (uhuv-elao of Benin kings) // Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography / otv. ed. S.P. Tolstov. - M .; L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1955. - 461 p .: ill. - (Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography; vol. 16) 1955 Olderogge Dmitry Alekseevich Antiquities of Benin (from the collections of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography) // Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography / otv. ed. S.P. Tolstov. - M .; L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1953 .-- 554 p .: ill. - (Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography; vol. 15).
URL
weblink
https://collection.kunstkamera.ru/en/entity/OBJECT/14295
Albums
Great Benin
Collection
Ethnography of Africa
Keywords
peoples of africa, benue-congo, edo
Sensitive Content

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