Discovering African Art
A Bronze Bust from Benin City by Sydnee
Washington
I did not have a specific title for the work of art. I just knew where the
sculpture came from with the help of the Worcester African Cultural Center assistant --
Benin, Nigeria. Then I did a web search on Benin. I found so much information.
Then I reviewed our assigned text books and I found information on the Oba of Benin
and the costume that he is shown wearing in the sculpture. I loved
describing the piece in my own words. I tried to do it so that someone would be able to
visualize the piece with my description.
The Oba is the sacred king who controlled the empire of Benin. The sculpture shows him wearing the costume the Oba wears in processions and ceremonies. The headdress has coral beads and the cross-hatching that I noticed on the sculpture is actually a cloth that is woven by his weavers and is embellished with various regal motifs. What the sculpture does not show is the Oba's hoop skirt which is suppose to make him seem “larger than life” or monumental in size because of his divinity. One of the most important pieces of the costume is the headdress. It points toward the sun or sky, that is, the celestial realm. All of the materials are symbolic because he is a living version of the hierarchy of Benin.
| To learn more about the Benin kingdom, Click Here | To go to African Tours and learn about Benin, click here |
| For the encyclopedia, Click Here | For contemporary works from Benin on sale, click here |
| For Smithsonian Libraries on line, click here. | |
| Suggested Reading: 1) The Art of Benin by Paula Ben Amos (T&H, 1980) 2) Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection by Kate Ezra (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992) 3 )The Benin Kingdom in Royal Arts of Africa by Suzanne Blier (Prentice Hall, 1998). |
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| 2 additional views: Bust of an Oba. Cast Bronze. Worcester African Cultural Center. | |
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| Contemporary Casting Source: Tropical Markets.Com |
19th Century Casting of an Oba's Head for use
on memorial altar |
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| Oba Erediawa of Benin Source: Royal Art of Benin, p.4 |
Ancestral Altar - Oba's Palace, Benin City, 1973. Photo: Courtesy of Jean M. Borgatti |
