Reg No.
RAF 624
Edo designations
English designations
Commemorative Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
Gablerstrasse 15, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland
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Iconographies

3 annotations
hairstyles
Eto
hairstyles

Hairstyles are used to determine a person's status in the society, as chiefs, common folks, chief's wives and the wives of the Ọba all wear different hairstyles. We have Okuku, Ikpe~okhokho, Idu~akpata

1 annotation
Eto
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
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

Provenance

3 events
Production
unknown to 1961
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Unknown
unknown to 1961
The object is known to have come into contact with Emil Storrer, later in Zurich.
Purchase
1961
The object was purchased by the Museum Rietberg Zürich from Emil Storrer in Zurich.

Related archival documents

8 documents
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Date
Date

Institution data

Museum Rietberg Zürich
The data was transferred directly through the Swiss Benin Initiative.
Last updated: 2022-07-04
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Reg No.
object id
RAF 624
Object name and materials
designation
Commemorative head (18th/19th century), terracotta
Material
material
terracotta
Dimension/s
dimensions
H. 25.9 cm W. 14.7 cm D. 19.8 cm
Provisional dating
date made
18th/19th century
Creditline
prior source
Purchased from: Emil Storrer, Zürich
Provenances
provenance
18th/19th century, probably produced in Benin Court workshop; [...]; before 1961: Emil Storrer, Zürich; 1961 purchased by the Museum Rietberg, Zürich
Institution
department and institution
MRZ Museum Rietberg Zürich
Institution acquisition date
accession date
March 1961
Additional IDs
Sensitive Content

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