id
180750
Edo designations
English designations
Commemorative Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
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Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head

Iconographies

5 annotations
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
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
Ughavan
Celts

Ughavan (celts) are often seen as part of the decoration along the flanges of the Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads), alongside trunk hand, leopard, or cow’s head motifs, or held in the left hand of the Ọba on the Ikẹgobọ (altar to the hand). This imagery has a particular meaning: when the Ọba holds the Ughavan in his left hand, it is said to be known instead as isauan (faeces of thunder) and is believed to “increase the potency of a curse or a blessing” ( ).

1 annotation
Ughavan
Beaded Crown
Ẹde
Beaded Crown

Although many other members of the Benin royal court wore a variety of hats and forms of headwear, only the Ọba may wear the Ẹde (beaded crown). The Ọba must never be seen bare-headed, and successive Ọbas introduced different styles and types of crowns ( ).

Across different media and objects, Ọbas are depicted wearing various types of crowns, all elaborately crafted from coral beads. Some feature tall projections rising from the crown, known as Oro, while others have curved projections extending from either side of the head, known as the winged cap. The latter was introduced only in the 19th century, most likely by Ọba Osẹmwẹndẹ ( ). Depictions of Ọba Esigie on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) show him wearing an elaborate crown decorated with large jasper or coral beads ( ).

1 annotation
Ẹde
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

7 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
1900
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer, later in Leipzig.
Inheritance
1929
The object was inherited by Elisabeth Meyer from Hans Meyer from Leipzig.
Purchase
1933
The object was purchased by Jacques Seligmann & Company from Elisabeth Meyer with its destination in New York City.
Purchase
1940
The object was purchased by Russell Barnett Annie Laurie & Aitken Aitken (born Warmack) from Jacques Seligmann & Company from New York City.
Auction
April 3, 2003
The object was auctioned to the Art Institute of Chicago through Christie's in New York City.

Institution data

Art Institute of Chicago
The data was downloaded via a public data access of the institution.
Last updated: 2021-02-08
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
accession
object id
2003.16
id
object id
180750
main_reference_number
object id
2003.16
title/0
designation
Head (Uhunmwun Elao)
description
description
<p>This brass head was commissioned by a newly crowned king for an altar commemorating a previous ruler, most likely the king’s father. Its shape imitates the regal coral-beaded collar and cap and served as the pedestal for a carved elephant tusk, the white color of which signaled the king’s divine and sacred nature. In Benin thought, the head is an important symbol of authority and power. Through this portrait a king channeled his deified ancestors to vitalize and protect his reign.</p>
thumbnail/alt_text
description
A work made of brass.
material_titles
material
brass (alloy)
medium_display
material
Brass
dimensions
dimensions
H. 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.)
classification_title
object type
sculpture
classification_titles
object type
sculpture; arts of Africa; african art; altar object; ritual objects
term_titles
object type
brass (alloy); ancestors; metalworking; edo (african); sculpture; Audit 2020; May 2020; arts of Africa; Arts of Africa; Coastal West Africa; african art; altar object; benin kingdom; altar; people; african Art; ritual objects; authority; sacred; divine; supernatural; casting (process)
color/h
colour
42
color/l
colour
40
color/percentage
colour
0.0353371105986324
color/population
colour
325
color/s
colour
5
subject_titles
iconography
ancestors; altar; people; authority; sacred; divine; supernatural
date_display
date made
18th/early 19th century
date_end
date made
1825
date_start
date made
1701
artist_title
ethnic attribution
producer
Edo
artist_titles
producer
Edo
technique_titles
production technique
metalworking; casting (process)
place_of_origin
production place
Nigeria
credit_line
prior source
Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment
provenance_text
provenance
Oba Ovonrramwen, (r. 1888-97, died 1914), Benin City, Kingdom of Benin, before 1897; possibly taken during the British military raid. Dr. Hans Meyer (died 1929), Leipzig, Germany, from 1900 [Receipt from Jacques Seligmann and Company in curatorial file]; by descent to Mrs. Hans Meyer, 1929; sold to Jacques Seligmann and Company, New York, N.Y., 1933; sold to Mrs. George W. Crawford (née Annie Laurie; married Russell B. Aitken, 1957; died 1984), 1940; by descent to Russell B. Aitkens, 1984; sold, Christie’s, New York, April 3, 2003, sale 1278 (The Russell B. Aitken Collection of African, American Indian, and Oceanic Art), lot 62, to the Art Institute.
artist_display
ethnic attribution
Edo, Kingdom of Benin Nigeria Coastal West Africa
department_title
department and institution
Arts of Africa
exhibition_history
exhibition history
Museum fur Volkerkunde, Vienna (organizer), BENIN–Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria, May 9–September 3, 2007, cat.; traveled to Musee du quai Branly, Paris, October 2, 2007–January 6, 2008, Ethnologisches Museum-Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, February 7–May 25, 2008, Art Institute of Chicago, July 10-September 21, 2008, cat. (Chicago only).
publication_history
bibliography
collection_status
legal status
Permanent Collection
is_public_domain
license
true
alt_image_ids
images
24e86b7b-fa58-2893-483c-07584028f5ef; 5dc28998-cd24-9447-bf98-f9b88979f584; ade78f17-2901-1d98-cac4-fd1b92f6cbd0
image_id
images
41b0cc6b-a4ed-5367-1450-595565f077a8
api_link
weblink
https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/180750
api_model
weblink
artworks
alt_classification_ids
TM-14182; TM-13486; TM-12923; TM-12318
alt_material_ids
alt_style_ids
TM-14183; TM-13566; TM-12928; TM-13489
alt_subject_ids
TM-12082; TM-8810; TM-13639; TM-13513; TM-13631; TM-12867
alt_technique_ids
TM-3881
artist_id
37838
artist_ids
37838
category_ids
PC-1
category_titles
Arts of Africa
classification_id
TM-13
classification_ids
TM-13; TM-14182; TM-13486; TM-12923; TM-12318
date_qualifier_id
4
date_qualifier_title
Made
department_id
PC-1
document_ids
fiscal_year
2003
gallery_id
2147470998
gallery_title
Gallery 137
has_educational_resources
false
has_multimedia_resources
false
has_not_been_viewed_much
false
internal_department_id
43
is_boosted
false
is_on_view
true
is_zoomable
true
last_updated
2021-02-01T23:33:32-06:00
last_updated_source
2020-10-30T15:41:48-05:00
latitude
latlon
longitude
material_id
TM-2460
material_ids
TM-2460
max_zoom_window_size
-1
pageviews
8036
pageviews_recent
89
publishing_verification_level
Web Cataloged
sound_ids
style_id
TM-6251
style_ids
TM-6251; TM-14183; TM-13566; TM-12928; TM-13489
style_title
edo (african)
style_titles
edo (african); Arts of Africa; Coastal West Africa; benin kingdom; african Art
subject_id
TM-12147
subject_ids
TM-12147; TM-12082; TM-8810; TM-13639; TM-13513; TM-13631; TM-12867
technique_id
TM-4152
technique_ids
TM-4152; TM-3881
text_ids
thumbnail/height
3300
thumbnail/width
2550
timestamp
2021-02-08T12:51:29-06:00
title/1/weight
8036
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