An 1897 picture of members of the Punitive Expedition sitting inside a courtyard (that was undergoing renovation) of the Oba's palace with artwork spread across the ground.

Ododua sculpture

Benin Kingdom court style, Edo people, Nigeria, 1700s

Snake head - 16th-19th century, copper alloy, Edo people, Nigeria (bronze snakes marked the turrets of both inner and outer palace gateways, their heads positioned to dangle over important courtyards)

Hello:

Does anyone have a picture of the wooden chest in case 13 of the National Museum in Benin City?

Carved wooden box used by princess or presented to her during marriage ceremony, knotted pattern and other knots on top, radial and knotted patterns on sides.

or the wooden combs in case 14? I'm interested in a picture or drawing of the knotted patterns seen on both of them.

Thanks!

^^^^

Sorry, can't help you there.

If you do find those pics, please post them in this thread.

The final image shows documentation which it has been suggested was prepared for the objects after Pitt-Rivers' death in 1900. Again according to Waterfield, this label on the stand was devised by Captain George Pitt-Rivers and Dudley-Buxton circa 1929. The original documentation in the catalogue of the second collection read:

'Bt of Burrows (cont’d) , [1 of] Two well-formed heads in bronze, the foreheads decorated each with two inlaid bands and four raised cicatrices (tribal marks) over each eye Coral necklaces. The hair in conventionalized bands of ridges, the ears unusually well formed Benin The metal of this specimen is very thin, being only 1 mm in thickness [3 Drawings annotated 1/3 ‘Benin’] Added: Catalogue p. 34 fig 98 & 99'

George Pitt-Rivers and Dudley-Buxton's label reads:

Well-formed head in bronze. The forehead decorated with two inlaid bands and four raised cicatrices over each eye. Coral necklace. being a badge of rank. The metal is very thin being only 1 mm in thickness. The hair is conventional bands of ridges. The ears unusually well formed. Benin'


Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Second collection documentation

Title: Benin wood comb, figure 386.
(Gallery / Category: The Farnham Collection)

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

3. Title: Benin figure sold by Sothebys on 15.11.1965, from sale catalogue
(Gallery / Category: The Farnham Collection)

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

4. Title: Benin figure 1975.7.1
(Gallery / Category: The Oxford Collection)

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

5. Title: Benin vessel 1975.7.2
(Gallery / Category: The Oxford Collection)
Description: Add.9455vol6_p1991 /3

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

6. Title: Benin vessel Add.9455vol6_p1991 /3
(Gallery / Category: The Farnham Collection)
Description: Benin vessel 1975.7.2 / Add.9455vol6_p1991 /3 ,

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

8. Title: Benin figure Add.9455vol6_p1989
(Gallery / Category: The Farnham Collection)

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

9. Title: Ivory face from Benin (Plate XXI, 'The Pitt-Rivers Museum, Farnham')
(Gallery / Category: The Farnham Collection)
Description: Ivory face from Benin (Plate XXI, 'The Pitt-Rivers Museum, Farnham: General Handbook' 1929) ,

Source: Rethinking Pitt-Rivers | Search

Nigeria, Benin Kingdom

Plaque

17th century

Bronze
18 3/4 in.

[img]http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/art/oba.jpg[/img]

The first section of the installation comprises commemorative heads and figures dating from the 15th through the 19th centuries. One of the most striking works on view, a 16-inch-high statue of an oba from the 17th century, is depicted in the elaborate regalia of the royal court and carries a staff nearly equal to his height.

Figure of a King (Oba),
19th century,
Edo peoples, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria
Copper alloy
41 cm (16 1/8 in.)
85-19-12, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 1966
Photograph by Kathy Corday

[img]http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/art/birdspn.jpg[/img]

The exhibition's third section, which relates to foreign influences, contains a rare, 16th-century carved ivory spoon topped by a stylized bird. The 4-inch-high spoon is an outstanding example of the kinds of objects made for export, destined for the curiosity cabinets of Renaissance-era collectors.

Spoon
16th-17th century
Benin-Portugese style
Edo peoples, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria
Ivory
16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.) 69-20-4, bequest of Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Oba of Benin's power was at its peak and different monarchs of the dynasty controlled significant stretches of land in what is now West Africa. During this era, exquisite naturalistic bronze art was created to enhance and embody the power of the Oba. The art often depicted the ancestors in order to establish legitimacy.

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Plaques at the British museum.

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Plaque of a Portuguese visitor.

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Brass helmet mask for the Ododua ritual.

The headdress on this bronze looks similar to Oka (Awka) women's head dresses.

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Bronze blower statue.

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Ivory leopard from Benin, 19th Century AD, Nigeria, in the British Museum, London. (One of my favourite). This looks comparable to A. Egyptian tables.

[center][img]http://161.58.35.145/wch/gallery/Quarter1/African/09-Benin-Culture,-Plaque-with-Leopard-Totemistic-Relationshi.jpg[/img][/center]

Plaque with leopard.

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Plaque with Figure of a Python, Baltimore Museum of Art
Edo. African, Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin (16th-17th century). Brass.

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Standing Oba Africa, Southern Nigeria, Benin City, Kingdom of Benin.

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Benin plaque: the oba with Europeans. Benin, Nigeria, Edo peoples, 16th century AD.