the kings of benin trace their lineage to what culture

Bronze Head of Queen Idia

Benin art is the fine art from the Kingdom of Benin or Edo Empire (1440–1897), a pre-colonial African state located in what is now known as the Southern region of Nigeria.^[i] Primarily made of cast bronze and carved ivory, Benin fine art was produced mainly for the court of the Oba of Benin – a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially pregnant objects.^{[ citation needed ]} The full complexity of these works can exist appreciated through the awareness and consideration of two complementary cultural perceptions of the art of Republic of benin: the Western appreciation of them primarily every bit works of art, and their agreement in Benin every bit historical documents and as mnemonic devices to reconstruct history, or every bit ritual objects. This original significance is of slap-up importance in Benin.^[ii]

Chronology [edit]

Given the stylistic differences, the art of Benin has been divided by some authors, including Egyptologist Boris de Rachewiltz in the following periods:

No.	Name	Elapsing
one	the Archaic Period	from the origins-1360
2	the Aboriginal Menses	1360–1500
3	the Flowering Catamenia	1500–1575
four	the Apogee Period	1575–1648
5	the "Renaissance"	1648–1691
6	the Decline Period	1691–1819

^[3]

The regal arts of Benin [edit]

The royal arts of the Benin Kingdom of southern region Nigeria affirm the axis of the Oba, or divine king, portraying his divine nature. While recording the kingdom'south significant historical events and the Oba's involvement with them, they likewise initiate the Oba'southward interactions with the supernatural and honor his deified ancestors, forging a continuity that is vital to the kingdom's well-existence.^[4]

The materials used in Benin's regal arts—primarily contumely, ivory, and coral—are endowed with sacred power. The innate value of these materials within Benin and the time and skill that is invested in working them reverberate the earthly and otherworldly influence of the Oba and the great wealth of his kingdom. Republic of benin'south royal arts belong to a tradition that favors convention even as it promotes creativity and innovation, especially as a reflection of royal prerogative. Through time, rulers have used the arts to translate the history of the kingdom and to orient themselves with the past in an effort to support their ain initiatives and ascertain their images for posterity.^[five]

Although only popularly known to Western audiences after the Benin Expedition of 1897,^{[half dozen]} Benin fine art has been in being since at to the lowest degree the 13th century.

Ancestral altars [edit]

A newly installed Oba is responsible for creating an altar dedicated to his father, commissioning the advisable objects to adorn it and activating it on a regular footing with sacrifices of food or beast blood. The Oba does the same for his mother if she attained the title of iyoba, or queenmother. While bells and rattle staffs are placed on all ancestral altars, ivory tusks and commemorative brass heads are made specifically for royal altars. Associated with merchandise, ivory and brass are durable and valuable, and their colors—white like sacred kaolin clay and cherry like fire and coral beads—relate to regal ability.^[seven]

Before the British conquest, an Oba's courtyard was the focal point for rituals in his honor. British troops reported 18 altars defended to previous Obas when they took possession of the palace in 1897. Today, all of the regal altars stand together in a single courtyard.^[4]

One of the objects unique to Republic of benin art is an Ikegobo, or "chantry to the hand," which celebrates the accomplishments of exceptional individuals. The mitt is associated with activity and productivity, and is considered the source of wealth, status, and success for all those who depend on manual skill and physical force. Altars of this kind are commissioned in terracotta, wood, or brass, depending on the condition of the patron.^[8]

[edit]

This ivory double bell (Egogo) is 1 of the oldest surviving African ivory sculptures; but six of these ivory gongs are known. They were used by the oba during the Emobo ceremony to drive away evil spirits. Carved with the oba, supported past his military commander and his heir.

Private and public ceremonies marking many of the important moments in Republic of benin's yearly calendar. In the by, an elaborate series of rites were performed throughout the year to secure otherworldly support for the kingdom'southward well-being and to gloat decisive events in its history. For the sake of convenience, the current monarch, Oba Ewuare II, emphasizes the cease-of-year festival called Igue, which is held during the wintertime holidays to allow the greatest number of people to attend. Igue includes a sequence of rituals that renew the Oba's supernatural powers and cleanse the kingdom'due south unruly spirits.^[9]

Benin's other important ritual festivals include Ague, where the showtime budded yams are blessed in hopes of a successful harvest; Ugie Ivie, the Festival of Beads, in which the Oba's coral and ruby stone regalia is bathed in cow's blood to reinvest it with spiritual force; Ugie Erha Oba, which honors the Oba's father and all paternal ancestors; Oduduwa, a masquerade that too honors the )ba'south paternal ancestors; and Ugie Oro, celebrating Oba Esigie'due south victory over the Idah Kingdom in the 16th century.^[10]

Finely carved ivory double gongs are examples of art related to rituals at court. They are chosen "double" gongs considering of second, smaller resonating cups at their front. Typically, the central epitome is the Oba in coral regalia supported by the high priests Osa and Osuan, officials who tend the altars of the kingdom's two patron gods. These gongs are still carried today by the Oba during Emobo, the last of the empowering rites of the Igue festival. The Oba gently taps the ivory instrument, creating a rhythmic sound to at-home and dismiss unruly spirits from the kingdom.^[11]

Leopard imagery in the arts of Republic of benin [edit]

The Oba is referred to metaphorically as "the leopard of the house," and images of the beautiful, cunning, and immensely dangerous cat appear frequently in Benin's majestic arts. Before the British invasion in 1897, domesticated leopards were kept in the palace to demonstrate the Oba's mastery over the wilderness. Leopard imagery is as well frequently linked to the Oba's military might.^[12]

• 

  Box in the course of a leopard's head; 19th century; 17.ane ten xiv cm (6 3⁄four x 5 one⁄2 in.); Brooklyn Museum (New York City). This box was used to hold kola nuts presented to visitors in the royal court of Benin. Leopards are one of the virtually ordinarily portrayed animals in African art. Intelligent and courageous, they often serve as metaphors for powerful individuals or associations

The Oba's regalia [edit]

The Oba's divine right to dominion is reiterated in his regalia. His coral crowns, shirts, aprons, necklaces, and accessories refer to those that Oba Ewuare is said to have stolen from Olokun, the god of the waters and prosperity. Coral and red stones such as jasper and agate are also filled with supernatural energy, or ase, as are elephant ivory and brass, two other valuable materials that the Oba has historically controlled.^[13]

Despite his divine condition, the Oba can not rule alone. He must rely on others to fulfill his destiny, a dependence that is physically expressed when he walks or sits with his arms supported at the elbows and wrists by attendants. They help him bear the weight of his regalia, a constant reminder of the burden of kingship.^[4]

Brass casting [edit]

Brass casters (igun eronmwon) are the highest-ranking craft guild within the hierarchical construction of the Iwebo society, followed by blacksmiths (igun ematon) and ivory and woods carvers (igbesanwan).^[14]

The origins of brass casting in Benin are debated. One popular story credits Oba Oguola (enthroned c. 1280) with sending for a master brass caster from Ile Ife, the upper-case letter city of the ancient Ife Kingdom to the northwest, and with afterwards establishing a royal brass-casting guild.^{[15] [16]} Others advise brass casting developed independently in Benin and may have mutually benefited from substitution with Ile Ife.^[17] Casters in both regions used the lost wax method, in which a precisely detailed wax model is formed over a clay core. When the model is consummate, dirt is carefully applied over the wax. It is and so heated, melting the wax, which exits from a narrow channel. Next, molten metal is poured into the mold. Once absurd, the hardened dirt is chipped away, leaving behind an image now cast in bronze.^{[2] [eighteen]}

• 

  Portrait of the male monarch Osemwende; circa 1810; Rietberg Museum

The Punitive Expedition [edit]

The decline of Benin art occurred at the finish of the 19th century when the Benin Expedition of 1897^{[six] [19] [twenty]} past the British caused impairment in the creation of the arts. On February eighteen, 1897, the British arrived in Republic of benin Urban center to punish a massacre. The possessions of the Oba and his court became spoils of war. The objects were rounded up with picayune regard for their associated meaning; no systematic tape was kept of their grouping or placement. Many of these objects were sold in London to defray the price of the expedition.^{[21] [22] [23]}

In April 2021 Germany agreed to return to nowadays-twenty-four hour period Nigeria the Benin bronzes that their troops had looted from the Kingdom of Benin.^[24] In late 2021 the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington DC removed the Benin bronzes that they accept from brandish and they say they have plans to repatriate them.^{[25] [26]}

References [edit]

1. ^ "Benin | historical kingdom, Westward Africa". Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved 2021-07-10 .
2. ^ ^{a b} Barbara Plankensteiner, ed. (2007). Benin- Kings and Rituals: Court Fine art from Nigeria. Exhibition catalogue Kunsthistoriches Museum Vienna mit MVK und OTM/Snoeck.
3. ^ Mihăilescu, Plutarh-Antoniu (1968). Întâlnire cu arta africană (in Romanaian). Editura Meridiane. p. 48.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Benin—Kings and Rituals: Courtroom Arts from Nigeria". The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
5. ^ "Overview | The Art Institute of Chicago". annal.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-05-24 .
6. ^ ^{a b} Robert., Dwelling house (1983). City of blood revisited : a new expect at the benin expedition of 1897. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN0-8476-4824-nine. OCLC 795371327.
7. ^ "The Royal Altars | The Art Institute of Chicago". annal.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-05-24 .
8. ^ "Oba with Animals, Altar to the Hand (Ikegobo) of Ezomo Ehenua [Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Republic of benin] (1991.17.113,1996.11)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Fine art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Fine art. 2000. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
9. ^ "Rituals at Court | The Art Establish of Chicago". archive.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-07-09 .
10. ^ "Rituals at Court | The Art Institute of Chicago". annal.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-07-09 .
11. ^ "Double-Gong and Striker | The Art Found of Chicago". archive.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-07-09 .
12. ^ "The Oba: Leopard of the House (Ekpen North'Owa) | The Art Institute of Chicago". annal.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-07-10 .
13. ^ "The Oba: Leopard of the House (Ekpen North'Owa) | The Art Institute of Chicago". archive.artic.edu . Retrieved 2021-07-09 .
14. ^ "Republic of benin Bronze casting: The story of power and royalty…". Vanguard News. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2021-07-10 .
15. ^ Inneh, David (2007). Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.). Benin kings and rituals : courtroom arts from Nigeria. Ghent: Snoeck. ISBN978-9053496268.
16. ^ Egharevba, Jacob U. (1968). A Short History of Benin, quaternary Edition. Ibadan University Printing.
17. ^ Gore, Charles (Summer 1997). "Casting Identities in Contemporary Benin". African Arts. 30 (3): 54–61, 93. doi:10.2307/3337500. JSTOR 3337500.
18. ^ Jeffreys, Yard. D. W. (June 1951). "The origins of the Benin bronzes". African Studies. 10 (2): 87–92. doi:x.1080/00020185108706840. ISSN 0002-0184.
19. ^ "What are the Benin bronzes, and why are they so controversial?". world wide web.aljazeera.com . Retrieved 2021-07-12 .
20. ^ "Nigeria demands unconditional return of looted artefacts from Germany". 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-12 .
21. ^ "What was life like in Republic of benin?". BBC Bitesize . Retrieved 2021-07-10 .
22. ^ "The kingdom of Benin was obliterated past the British, who still have the show on display". www.abc.net.au. 2020-xi-29. Retrieved 2021-07-12 .
23. ^ Marshall, Alex (2020-01-23). "This Art Was Looted 123 Years Ago. Will It Ever Be Returned?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-12 .
24. ^ "Republic of benin Bronzes: Frg to render looted artefacts to Nigeria". BBC News. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-07-12 .
25. ^ Catherine Hickley (28 October 2021). "Smithsonian Museum of African Fine art removes Republic of benin bronzes from display and plans to repatriate them". CNN.
26. ^ Maximiliano Duron (v Nov 2021). "Smithsonian's Museum of African Art Begins Process to Repatriate Its Benin Bronzes". Art News.

External links [edit]

• Penn Museum – Benin Collection
• Art and oracle: African art and rituals of divination, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully bachelor online every bit PDF), which contains material on Republic of benin art
• Majestic Fine art of Republic of benin: The Perls Drove, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Fine art (fully available online as PDF)
• Antiquities from the metropolis of Republic of benin and from other parts of West Africa in the British Museum, a catalog from The British Museum (fully available online as PDF)
• Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas from the Museum of Archaic Art: an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Fine art Libraries (fully available online as PDF)
• Benin Collections in the Annal of Folk Civilization, from the American Folklife Middle
• "This Art was Looted 123 Years Ago. Will It E'er Be Returned?" January 2020 article almost the Benin Bronzes from the New York Times
• Work by Beninese artists at the University of Michigan Museum of Art

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_the_Kingdom_of_Benin

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