id
117905
Edo designations
English designations
Commemorative Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
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Iconographies

3 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
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
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.
Purchase
1930 (approximate) to 1937
The object was purchased by Louis Carré and Charles Alfred Marius Ratton with its destination in Paris.
Purchase
January 17, 1938
The object was purchased by the Cleveland Museum of Art from Louis Carré through M. Knoedler & Co. from New York City to Cleveland.

Institution data

Cleveland Museum of Art
The data was downloaded via a public data access of the institution.
Last updated: 2021-02-13
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
accession_number
object id
1938.6
id
object id
117905
title
designation
Ancestral Commemorative Head (uhunmwun-elao)
digital_description
description
tombstone
description
Ancestral Commemorative Head (uhunmwun-elao), possibly mid-1500s or early 1600s. Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild. Copper alloy and iron; overall: 29.9 x 21.6 x 20.4 cm (11 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1938.6
wall_description
description
Brass heads are among many objects a new Ọba commissions when dedicating a shrine to their predecessor. This head of an Ọba wears layered necklaces of royal coral beads. Tubular beads adorn both the netted cap and slender braids alongside his temples. While representing an individual, his facial features and calm expression are idealized. The thickly cast head once supported a tusk. Immune to corrosion, brass symbolizes royal permanence. A personal religious object, this head sat on an ancestral altar in the Ọba’s palace. Like many works taken from Benin altars, this contrasts with its present-day public display in an American museum.
dimensions/diameter/width
dimensions
dimensions/overall/depth
dimensions
0.204
dimensions/overall/height
dimensions
0.299
dimensions/overall/width
dimensions
0.216
measurements
dimensions
Overall: 29.9 x 21.6 x 20.4 cm (11 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/16 in.)
type
object type
Sculpture
creation_date
date made
possibly mid-1500s or early 1600s
creation_date_earliest
date made
1550
creation_date_latest
date made
1625
technique
production technique
Copper alloy and iron
creditline
prior source
Dudley P. Allen Fund
provenance/0/date
provenance
Possibly mid-1500s or early 1600s.
provenance/0/description
provenance
Commissioned from the Igun Eronmwon
provenance/1/date
provenance
c.1857-1897
provenance/1/description
provenance
By descent to Ọba Ovọnramwẹn (Ovọnramwẹn Nogbaisi [c. 1857–1914; r. 1888–1897], Royal Palace, Benin City
provenance/2/date
provenance
1897
provenance/2/description
provenance
Brought to Europe following the Siege of Benin
provenance/3/date
provenance
c. 1929-1932
provenance/3/description
provenance
(Fosters & Co., London or France, probably sold to Louis Carré and/or Charles Ratton)
provenance/4/date
provenance
by at least 1937
provenance/4/description
provenance
(Louis Carré, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH January 17, 1938)
provenance/5/date
provenance
1938-
provenance/5/description
provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
provenance/6/description
provenance
provenance/7/date
provenance
provenance/7/description
provenance
provenance/8/date
provenance
provenance/8/description
provenance
culture
ethnic attribution
Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild
collection
department and institution
African Art
current_location
department and institution
108A Sub-Saharan
department
department and institution
African Art
fun_fact
notes
The <em>obas</em> (kings) of the Benin Kingdom still wear coral headpieces and jewelry like this sculpted head depicts.
exhibitions/current/0/description
exhibition history
<i>The Silver Jubilee Exhibition</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
exhibitions/current/0/id
exhibition history
312341
exhibitions/current/0/opening_date
exhibition history
1941-06-23T04:00:00
exhibitions/current/0/title
exhibition history
The Silver Jubilee Exhibition
exhibitions/current/1/description
exhibition history
<i>Exhibition of the Month: Texture in Art</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 6-December 8, 1947).
exhibitions/current/1/id
exhibition history
355504
exhibitions/current/1/opening_date
exhibition history
1947-10-06T05:00:00
exhibitions/current/1/title
exhibition history
Exhibition of the Month: Texture in Art
exhibitions/legacy
exhibition history
CMA 1937: Ivories and Bronzes from the Ancient Kingdom of Benin, Bulletin XXIV (March 1937), repr. p. 34.<br>Washington, DC, Howard University, Founders Library Art Gallery, African Art, May 1-May 31, 1953, cat. no. 33.<br>Cleveland, East Ohio Gas Company Building, "Seaway Luncheons," week of June 8, 1959.
citations/0/citation
bibliography
Foote, Helen S. 1938. "Two Bronzes from Benin". Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 25: 48-50.
citations/0/page_number
bibliography
mentioned p. 49; illustrated p. 48
citations/0/url
bibliography
citations/1/citation
bibliography
Milliken, William M. "Treasure of Ivories and Bronzes from the Ancient Kingdom of Benin." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 24, no. 3 (1937): 35-36.
citations/1/page_number
bibliography
illustrated, unnumbered plate
citations/1/url
bibliography
citations/2/citation
bibliography
"Au Cleveland Museum of Art." <em>Mouseion. </em>(April 1938) 13-14.
citations/2/page_number
bibliography
Mentioned: p. 13
citations/2/url
bibliography
citations/3/citation
bibliography
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
citations/3/page_number
bibliography
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 386
citations/3/url
bibliography
https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n72
citations/4/citation
bibliography
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
citations/4/page_number
bibliography
Reproduced: p. 303
citations/4/url
bibliography
https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n327
citations/5/citation
bibliography
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
citations/5/page_number
bibliography
Reproduced: p. 303
citations/5/url
bibliography
https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n327
citations/6/citation
bibliography
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
citations/6/page_number
bibliography
Reproduced: p. 411
citations/6/url
bibliography
https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n431
citations/7/citation
bibliography
Petridis, Constantine. "A World of Great Art for Everyone." In <em>Representing Africa in American Art Museums: A Century of Collecting and Display</em>. Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Christa Clarke, 104-121. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011.
citations/7/page_number
bibliography
Mentioned: p. 113, 119
share_license_status
license
CC0
images/full/filename
images
1938.6_full.tif
images/full/filesize
images
134503980
images/full/height
images
7852
images/full/url
images
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1938.6/1938.6_full.tif
images/full/width
images
5709
images/print/filename
images
1938.6_print.jpg
images/print/filesize
images
4044277
images/print/height
images
3400
images/print/url
images
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1938.6/1938.6_print.jpg
images/print/width
images
2472
images/web/filename
images
1938.6_web.jpg
images/web/filesize
images
299185
images/web/height
images
893
images/web/url
images
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1938.6/1938.6_web.jpg
images/web/width
images
649
url
weblink
https://clevelandart.org/art/1938.6
former_accession_numbers/0
former_accession_numbers/1
updated_at
2020-11-10 10:00:23.111000
Sensitive Content

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