Benin Ivory Pendant Mask

Benin ivory pendant mask of the Queen Mother represents a royal woman in Benin in the sixteenth century. The work originates from Nigeria in the court of Benin. Historical studies indicate that the mask was made for the Edo people. The work is however a representation of the original mask which is in London in the British Museum. The medium of the work is ivory with dimensions of H. 9 3/8 x W. 5 x D. 3 1/4 in. (23.8 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm). The work is classified as Bone/ Ivory Sculpture. This piece of art inspires respect and admiration of a woman, it also represents royalty. This paper will discuss findings of a research that was undertaken to find out about the idealized portrait of the ancient Nigerian pendant mask, Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba (16th century AD). 

This ivory pendant mask is a portrait of Idia, who was the first queen mother. The king wore the piece of art in ceremonies. There is a hole at the back of the mask making it serve as a container used to store medicine for protecting the king while he wore it around its neck. Benin Ivory Pendant Mask has inlaid metal and carved scares that are curved on its forehead, with bands of coral beads below its chin. The beads represent power, honor, and wisdom of the queen mother. These softly modeled characteristics of the artwork depict its subject. The portrait is well idealized and sensitive. The wealth of Benin’s royalty and its elegance is represented by the material used in making the mask and the ornamental images that are carved around the face of the mask. The piece bears the faces of Portuguese that symbolize the good relationship that Benin had with foreigners, in this case the Portuguese, and with the ancestral spirits. The Portuguese were thought to come from the dead since they had white skin and crossed a water body. The mask is decorated with images of mudfish which alternates the Portuguese faces. The Mudfish symbolize power since mudfish was thought to be spiritual and very powerful because of its ability to “walk” on land and swim in water. It also depicted the dual nature of the king as both divine and human. The mudfish also associates the power of the queen mother with that of the spiritual world. The mudfish motif is associated with qualities of aggressiveness because of its ferocious electric sting.

Benin is a country that is located between Togo and Nigeria in West Africa. Benin ivory pendant mask has been in place since the early sixteenth century. Benin ivory pendant mask was made for Oba Esigie, who was then the king of Benin. The piece was a symbol of honor to the king’s mother, Idia. The ivory pendant mask has other identical works of art in the British Museum in London. The piece of art has a symbol of the legacy of a dynasty that has carried on to the present day despite Benin’s tradition having minimum images of women. The King wore the mask at rituals that commemorated his mother. However, in the modern days, these pendants are worn at celebrations of spiritual purifications and renewals. Ivory is related to the white color which symbolizes ritual purification that associates to the god of the sea, Olokun, in Benin. Olokun is a spiritual counterpart of the king “oba” since he is the source of extraordinary fertility and wealth. Ivory attracted Portuguese traders who brought in wealth in Benin. Besides, ivory’s white color makes it central to the constellation of symbols that surrounded the god of the sea and the king. 

Before the sixteenth century, Queen Mother had not been established in Benin’s kingdom. The establishment came in the early sixteenth century as a result of a major conflict between two sons who disagreed over the ascension to the throne. Their father who was the king, Oba Ozula, died leaving the throne open. His sons were Esigie, who was in charge of the city of Benin, and Arhuaran, who was in charge of the city of Udo. The conflict between the two sons threatened to destroy the empire. Their mother, Idia, had magical powers which she used to help Esigie to win the war against Arhuaran. Her magical powers also helped Esigie defeat the neighboring Igala people who wanted to attack Benin’s kingdom by taking advantage of the state’s weakness. This marked the beginning of honor to the mothers of the kings. The queen mothers were after that given prestige and powers in the kingdom. Before Esigie’s reign, there was a custom of beheading the king’s mothers to prevent threats to the kingdom by the use of their magical powers. Mothers of the kings were believed to be capable of using magical powers to initiate a rebellion against their sons and taking over the throne. They could also harm people using witchcraft. However, Esigie asked Edo people not to behead his mother because she could help him to defeat his rival brother and save the kingdom of Benin. Edo people agreed to his request to let him establish his mother as a queen mother in a condition that he was not to see her again. After that, there was no direct contact between the queen mother and the Oba. The queen mother was moved to her palace in a village which was outside the capital city.

The piece of art is also an important portrait of a historical figure in Benin courts. The material is precious with refined carvings indicating that the artwork was created by carvers who were exclusively talented in making royal ivory carvings. The Portuguese faces motif depicted in the work of art indicate the extraordinary wealth that was generated in the kingdom of Benin as a result of the trade with the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. The color white is associated with the god of the sea, Olokun, who was connected with the Portuguese since they arrived by sea, had white skin, and, generated local wealth. Besides, the god of the sea is linked to fertility, purity, and the world of the dead. Benin ivory pendant mask has suspended lugs below and above its ears which indicate that the artifact was probably worn suspended as a pectoral. History suggests that the king wore the artwork around his neck. However, observations from recent ritual practices suggest that the king may have alternatively worn the piece and other related works around his waist.

The approach of traditional African people to power among women defers from that of the traditional western concept. This is evident in the traditional West African culture where women and men have different roles within which power dynamics defer. The power of women is best illustrated by the Benin culture and the people of Yoruba. Benin and Yoruba works of art depict the power of women in these societies. Queen mothers are seen as the epitome of power as depicted by the bands of coral beads below the chin of the artifact. These queen mothers are the women with the highest position of power. As a result, they wore coral beads below their chins. The art also investigates the nature of women that depicts them in gender roles. The ritual of Gelede offers remarkable insights into natures and lives of women of power. The ritual also celebrates the power of these women. These aspects give a reflection of the concept of the power of women and the art that depicts this kind of power in West Africa. Idia, being the first queen mother, was a close advisor to his son, Esigie, who was the king of Benin. The queen mother was honored and greatly respected for her assistance to secure the claim of her son to the throne. She was also honored for the wise counsel that she offered during the reign of his son as the king. Idea’s role led to the introduction of the title Queen Mother (Iyoba) which was introduced to the court of Benin.

Queen mother is a primary example the power of women in Africa. Queen mothers are seen to have extraordinary amounts of power. The mothers have their courts, assist the kings in decision making concerning the ruling of their kingdoms, are independent and have sovereign power over their subjects. A queen mother's position is compared to a high-ranking chief. There is often a considerable competition level of becoming a queen mother since the future king is usually chosen from the sons of the current king’s wives. Traditionally, a woman who’s son becomes king has unique magical powers that she uses in various ways to assist his son in his period of ruling such as to help him defeat his enemies and to prosper in his reign. There is a belief that the queen mother is chosen and predestined to give birth to a king even before she is born. However, the queen mother is only identified after her son has been chosen to be the king.

Benin ivory pendant mask is an important artwork that has had a lot of audience over the years. The importance of this work has been interpreted differently by various people. Some consider it as a representation of Benin’s history, others as a symbol of the wealth of Benin; others consider it as a representation of the power of women in West Africa. All these arguments are valid. The art reminds people of the history of Benin and its kingdom. The work also portrays the face of a woman who helped his son to win a battle and become a king; therefore, it represents the strength of West African women. The work has images of Portuguese faces that traded with the people of Benin and brought wealth to the kingdom of Benin. The artwork is significant as it serves as a reminder of the history of people of Benin. Other pieces of Benin art of the sixteenth century and after such as the seal of the University of Benin also show images of Portuguese as a symbol of Benin’s control over and alliance with the Europeans.

A closer look to the work has not changed the initial impression since the research of the work from the articles only clarifies the first impression. The work and other related works show the history of Benin kingdom. The work gives a reflection of how women were honored and expressed their wisdom and power in West Africa. Benin ivory pendant mask continues to portray the legacy of Benin’s kingdom from the sixteenth century.

Works Cited

LaGamma, Alisa, Joanne Pillsbury, Eric Kjellgren, and Yaëlle Biro. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Vision: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas . Vol. 72, no. 1. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014.

Lundén, Staffan. "Displaying Loot. The Benin objects and the British Museum." (2016).

Osagie, Joseph I., and Frank Ikponmwosa. "Craft Guilds and the Sustenance of Pre-Colonial Benin Monarchy." AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities 4, no. 1 (2015): 1-17.

Rawlings, Helen. "Representational Strategies of Inclusion and Exclusion in José del Olmo's Narrative and Francisco Rizi's Visual Record of the Madrid Auto de Fe of 1680." romance studies 29, no. 4 (2011): 223-241.

Reynolds, Clarence V. "Heroic Africans." Network Journal 18, no. 8 (2011): 38.