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This double bell (Egogo), now in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, is one of the oldest surviving African ivory sculptures; only six of these ivory gongs are known. Double gongs were used by the oba (king) during the Emobo ceremony to drive away evil spirits. The carving here depicts the oba, supported by his military commander and his heir.
The royal arts of the Benin Kingdom of southern region Nigeria affirm the centrality of the Oba, or divine king, portraying his divine nature. While recording the kingdom's significant historical events and the Oba's involvement with them, they also initiate the Oba's interactions with the supernatural and honor his deified ancestors, forging a continuity that is vital to the kingdom's well-being.
The Benin ivory mask is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivory of Idia, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the 16th century Benin Empire, taking the form of a traditional African mask. [1] The masks were looted by the British from the palace of the Oba of Benin in the Benin Expedition of 1897 .
The Kingdom of Benin was a hub of African civilization long before Portuguese traders visited, [15] [16] and bronzes were made in Benin prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. [17] The Benin bronze sculpture tradition is thought to have derived from or been influenced by that of the older nearby Kingdom of Ife in southwest Nigeria. [5] [6] [7]
The Igbesanmwan is a hereditary guild of ivory carvers in the Benin Kingdom, a pre-colonial African state located in present-day Edo State, Nigeria.Members of the Igbesanmwan guild hold the responsibility of crafting ivory items, including masks, tusks, staffs, leopards, and various other symbols denoting royal authority and eminence, for the Oba (king) and the royal court.
Benin Altar Tusks (Edo: Aken’ni Elao) are ivory artefacts from the Benin Kingdom in present-day Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.These tusks date back to the 16th century and measure approximately 61 inches (1,500 mm) in height, 5.2 inches (130 mm) in width, 4.7 inches (120 mm) in depth, and weighing 25 kilograms (55 lb) according to a sample at the British Museum.
Right view of ivory salt cellar. The kingdom of Benin existed in the southwestern region of Nigeria in modern Edo state, Nigeria.According to scholars the kingdom of Benin (also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire) originated around the year 900 by the Ogiso kings, it is said between the eleventh and the thirteenth a member from the Oba dynasty would take control of the state. [6]
Ogene Nne Na Nwa (Mother and child gong) [9] This variation of the ogene instrument features a double bell accompanied by an additional set of small bells attached to the curved handle. [10] This secondary set is referred to as the ala (breasts) or nwa akwo n’azu (a child carried on the back), the latter term evoking the imagery of a nursing ...