H x W x D: 41 x 17.1 x 15.2 cm (16 1/8 x 6 3/4 x 6 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
18th-19th century
Label Text:
The staff in the oba's left hand gives added power to his pronouncements. It is shaped like a double gong and studded with blades that are similar to the head of a metalsmith's finishing hammer. The blade of a ceremonial sword in the right hand and a large loop atop the head have broken off. The missing loop had the same form as the handle of the ceremonial sword.
Description:
Cast copper alloy standing male figure of a king with a sword (eben, missing blade) in his proper right hand, a gong with hammer blades in his proper left hand and a ram's head pendant on his proper right hip. Next to the central crown projection, the ends of a missing circular loop remain.
Provenance:
Benin Punitive Expedition, 1897
Dr. J.P. Howe, 1897 to 1934
Capt. J.S. Howe, 1934 to 1961
Sotheby and Co. auction, London, November 20, 1961
Joseph H. Hirshhorn, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1961 to 1966
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1966 to 1985
Exhibition History:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing (deinstalled November 9, 2021)
Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 17, 2014-July 31, 2016
The Ancient West African City of Benin, A.D. 1300-1897, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1987-June 1, 2004
Published References:
Freyer, Bryna. 1987. Royal Benin Art in the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, no. 4.
Koslow, Philip. 1996. Benin: Lords of the River. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, p. 18.
Robbins, Warren M. and Nancy I. Nooter. 1989. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 220-221, no. 564.
Schrenk, J. L. 1994. The Royal Art of Benin: Surfaces, Past and Present. Ancient and Historic Metals. Proceedings of a symposium organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and Getty Conservation Institute, November 1991. Ed. D. A. Scott, J. Podany and B. Considine. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust.
Screnk, Janet L. 1991. Corrosion and Past "Protective" Treatments of the Benin "Bronzes" in the National Museum of African Art. Materials Research Society. Material Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol. 185. p. 807, no. 16.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
