ObjectNumber_Original
VO_98157
Institution
Weltmuseum Wien
Edo designations
English designations
Relief Plaque
Categories
Palace Architecture & Ornamentation
Location
Heldenplatz, 1010 Wien, Austria
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Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque

Iconographies

5 annotations
Water fern
Ebe Amẹ
Water Fern

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

1 annotation
Ebe Amẹ
Iviawẹ
Stacked Beaded Anklet

Ọba gha ye Ivie gie ọwan, ẹ ghi tama rẹn ehe nọ gha bae yi (When the Ọba gifts you a bead, he doesn’t tell you how to wear it) (Daniel Inneh, pers. comm., 27 September 2025).

Iviawẹ (also spelled ĺvîowẹ) are coral-beaded anklets, often worn stacked together (Aigbe 1985, p. 28; Okpokunu, Agbontaen-Eghafona & Ojo 2005, p. 162; Ọbazee 2025, p. 279). Many of the figures depicted on the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures) in brass, bronze, ivory, and wood are shown wearing these. According to Daniel Inneh (pers. comm., 27 September 2025), beads were sent to people whom the Ọba wished to honour, although there was no directive on how to wear them.

Mostly, people who wear Iviawẹ are identified as palace chiefs or priests and priestesses. However, today anyone can wear them as cultural identifiers or fashion pieces.

1 annotation
Iviawẹ
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
Ukpọn
Wrapper

Ukpọn is the Edo term for cloth (Aigbe 1985, p. 55; Ọbazee 2025, p. 542) and is used here to refer to the wrappers or kilts worn by many of the figures depicted on the Emwin Arre (royal treasures). The cloth worn around the waist may be plain, but it is more commonly richly decorated with motifs associated with the monarchy, power, and wealth, such as the Ọba'nui (infinity symbol) and Uhunme Ikpotoki (Portuguese heads).

The Benin Kingdom was renowned for its textile production, both for local use and for trade ( ). Within the royal court, members of the Owina n’Ido produced ukhuen cloth for the Ọba and other members of the court, who wore it as wrappers during festivals and ceremonies ( ).

Alongside locally produced textiles, imported cloth was also an important commodity in the Benin Kingdom’s trade networks. Textiles were exchanged with neighbouring production centres, particularly Ijebu ( ), while European traders brought silks, woollens, linens, and cotton from Europe and Asia from the 15th century onwards ( ).

1 annotation
Ukpọn
Igan
Feather

Igan (feathers) are commonly depicted tucked into the headdresses and hats of chiefs represented on Emwin Arre (royal treasures). These feathers are from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) and symbolise respected old age and proper chieftaincy ( ).

1 annotation
Igan

Provenance

6 events
Production
1504 (approximate) to 1550 (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 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor from Benin Kingdom.
Transfer
March 19, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was transferred from Ralph Denham Rayment Moor to British Foreign Office from Benin City to London.
Loan
September 7, 1897 to January 1898 (month approximate)
The object was loaned by British Foreign Office to the British Museum through Crown Agents for the Colonies in London.
Unknown
January 1898 (month approximate) to 1899
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer, in London and later Leipzig.
Unknown
1918
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer and the Weltmuseum Wien, in Leipzig and later Vienna.

Related archival documents

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Institution data

Weltmuseum Wien
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-05-24
Languages: german, english
Institution fieldValue
ObjectNumber_Original
object id
VO_98157
NativeTitle
edo designation
TextEntry
description
Diese Reliefplatte: Würdenträger ist Teil der historischen Sammlungen aus dem Königreich Benin im heutigen Nigeria. 1897 wurde das Königreich erobert und dessen Oba (König) Ovonramwen ins Exil verbannt. Die aus dem Königspalast geraubten Kunstschätze wurd
Medium
material
Gelbguss
Medium_en
material
Brass
ObjectName
object type
Reliefplatte: Würdenträger
ObjectName_en
object type
Relief Plaque: Dignitary
DateBegin
date made
DateEnd
date made
Dated
date made
Dated_en
date made
Period
date made
Term
production place
Afrika südlich der Sahara
Term2
production place
West-Afrika
Term3
production place
Nigeria
Term4
production place
Benin
Thesaurus
production place
Afrika südlich der Sahara/West-Afrika/Nigeria/Benin
Provenance
provenance
Role_person
provenance
Sammlung-Collection-Hans Meyer|
Culture
ethnic attribution
Edo, Benin Königreich
Culture_en
ethnic attribution
Edo, Benin Kingdom
CreditLine
department and institution
Weltmuseum Wien
Department
department and institution
MVK Objekte - Afrika südlich der Sahara
Zugangsdatum
accession date
1918
LocationString
display status
FileName
images
VO_98157_201902.jpg|
PrimaryImage
images
VO_98157_201902.jpg
Classification
||
DepartmentID
35
Department_cut
Afrika südlich der Sahara
DisplayOrder
|
Last_Modified
2021-12-06 08:15:34
LocationID
ObjectID
428242
ObjectNumber
98157
PublicAccess
1
SortNumber
VO 98157
TextDate_en
|
TextEntryHTML
Diese Reliefplatte: Würdenträger ist Teil der historischen Sammlungen aus dem Königreich Benin im heutigen Nigeria. 1897 wurde das Königreich erobert und dessen Oba (König) Ovonramwen ins Exil verbannt. Die aus dem Königspalast geraubten Kunstschätze wurd
TextEntryHTML_en
This Relief Plaque: Dignitary is part of the historical collections from the Benin Kingdom, in present-day Nigeria. In 1897, the kingdom was conquered and Oba (king) Ovonramwen banned into exile. The loot from the royal palace was then sold through the ar
TextEntry_en
This Relief Plaque: Dignitary is part of the historical collections from the Benin Kingdom, in present-day Nigeria. In 1897, the kingdom was conquered and Oba (king) Ovonramwen banned into exile. The loot from the royal palace was then sold through the ar
cxrDisplayOrder
1|
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