₦airaland Forum

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Nigeria (Benin City) - Edo Double Gong (ivory) Brooklyn Museum

Double Gong (Egogo). Nigeria, Royal Court of Benin. Edo artist, early 16th century. Ivory. Brooklyn Museum

[img]http://academics.smcvt.edu/africanart/ashley2/Benin%20layout.jpg[/img]

Benin City (Nigeria). Plan of Benin City in the nineteenth century (IV)

Benin City was divided into two main sections. The inner city (Ogbe) houses first- and second- dynasty compounds along with the houses of related functionaries and the Outer city, (Ore Nokhua) houses city residents.

The six mile moat surrounding the inner city was intended to prevent citizens unhappy with the king's laws from fleeing. The Royal palace, like the Asante, faced north towards Ogiwu the god of death and thunder. "The prominent cardinal positioning of the place no doubt is in reference to the king's identity with temporal and cosmological power" (IV). The palace was also placed at the intersection of the major avenues of the city. The east is linked to Osanobua, the sky god; to the west lives Olokun, god of the sea, to the south reside the health super naturals, Osun and others .

Located in the village of Uselu, several miles north of the capital, is the queen mother's residence. Because she was not allowed to see her son after he became king, the two communicated by messengers. "The king undertakes nothing of importance without having sought the queen mother's counsel. The residences of other adult royal princes were also located with the queen mother's compound to pose less of a political threat to the crown.

[img]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cheKpnmrmZg/SsplE4zVlUI/AAAAAAAAAUU/TBe9ygEdBTo/74.+Bronze+plaques+from+Benin+City.JPG[/img]

https://www.edo-nation.net/moat1.jpg

Benin City Earthworks
Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
1280 to 1460

Part of the world's largest ancient earthwork--a complex system of moats and ramparts spread over some 6,500 square kilometers--the Benin City Walls consist of a set of inner and outer interlocking rings originally built to delineate the royal precinct of the Oba, or king, from the surrounding area. Following their construction, numerous other walls were erected in the surrounding countryside to mark the agricultural boundaries around distinct settlements. Built to an original height of more than 18 meters, and a length of 1,200 kilometers, the earthworks attest the development of urbanization and rise of state societies in subsaharan Africa, a process that began in the seventh century a.d. and culminated in the founding of the Benin Kingdom of Bronze and Ivory in the fourteenth century.

The Benin City Walls were ravaged by the British in 1897. Since then, portions of the walls have gradually vanished in the wake of modernization--large segments cannibalized for the construction of other buildings. However, significant stretches of the walls remain, enclosing innumerable red earth shrines and vernacular elite architecture with red-fluted walls. Though the walls and moats have been protected by national legislation since 1961, no conservation plan exists. The earthworks need to be mapped and assessed, a public awareness campaign launched, and a plan for long-term management developed.

http://www.edo-nation.net/moat1.htm

[img]http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ355/choi/images/bb064.jpg[/img]

https://www.barakatgallery.com/Auction/ItemImgs/PF2876_t.jpg

To the Benin, ivory was more valuable than gold and represented great kings and warriors. When used, the sounds produced by this trumpet represented the voices of the king's enemies praising him. The playing of this trumpet was also said to empower the king with the strength of the elephant it came from. On this specific trumpet we see the mother of the king seated in a place of high honor, on the very top. Below her are depictions of her servants and protectors. She herself is elegantly modeled wearing multiple strands of beads showing her high rank. Also pictured on this stunning piece is the sacred snake. It was believed by the Benin people that it was the snake that connected heaven and earth. - (PF.2876)

https://www.barakatgallery.com/Auction/ItemImgs/PF4004t.jpg

Benin Bronze/Brass Equestrian Sculpture - PF.4004 (LSO)
Origin: Benin City, Nigeria
Circa: 1725 AD to 1800 AD
Dimensions: 8.75" (22.2cm) high
Catalogue: V19
Collection: African
Style: Benin
Medium: Bronze/Brass




This imposing brass sculpture of a man on horseback was made by a master metalworker of the ancient kingdom of Benin. It represents an Oba – one of the polity’s hereditary God-Kings – wearing ornate ceremonial robes drawn up to his waist, clutching the reins in his left hand and a sceptre in the other, clad further in jewellery around his neck and arms, and surmounted by a truly enormous, spiky headdress attached to the apex of a cap that covers his head down to the brows. The horse is elongated but otherwise roughly to scale, unlike Yoruba equestrian pieces in which the rider dwarfs his mount. It stands full-square, its head pointing down, and is wearing a very ornate halter and apparel, and would seem to be attired for some ceremonial occasion. The piece is darkly patinated.

In the eyes of the Benin populace, the Obas were divine beings, and paraphernalia such as this was created after their demise in order to be displayed on altars dedicated to their memory. Until the late 19th century, the Benin centres were a ruling power in Nigeria, dominating trade routes and amassing enormous wealth as the military and economic leaders of their ancient empire. This changed with the appearance of British imperial forces, which coveted the wealth of the royal palaces and found a series of excuses to mount a punitive expedition against the Oba’s forces in 1897. It was only at this point, the moment of its destruction, that the true achievements of the Benin polities became apparent to western scholars.

Benin royal palaces comprised a sprawling series of compounds containing accommodation, workshops and public buildings. As it grew, the buildings pertaining to previous Obas were either partially refurbished or left in favour of newer constructions; this led to a long history of royal rule written in sculptural works that rank among Africa’s finest; until European industrial advances in the 19th century, they were the finest bronzes that ever made. Metal Oba heads were used to honour the memory of a deceased king. Typically, the son of the dead king – the new Oba – would pay tribute to his father by erecting an altar in his memory. These altars were decorated with various artefacts alluding to the Oba’s achievements in life. These heads were typically arranged in pairs, each supporting an elephant’s tusk that was inserted through the hole in the top of the head. Further decorations included spears, statues, cast brass objects depicting the Oba and his followers, brass bells to awaken the spirits, rattle-staffs (ukhurhe) and magical objects that included Neolithic celts (known as “thunder stones”). The new king would pay homage to his father in this way, guaranteeing the succession and demonstrating the continuity of divine kingship.

Dating these pieces is fraught with difficulty as many were taken from their context without recording of important factors and associations. Given the style, patina and signs of usage, one can tentatively assign it to the mid eighteenth to early 19th century, although it may predate this. Taken as a whole, the piece is remarkably effective, powerful and well-rendered, and would take pride of place in any serious collection of African art.

- (PF.4004 (LSO))

[img]http://2.bp..com/_ALvqZc-q73k/TJeI-aS3SiI/AAAAAAAAFl8/NLPTP1kwnmA/s1600/IMG_8661.JPG[/img]

Some of the magnificent 16th / 17th C bronzes from Benin City in Nigeria which were looted by the British during the so-called 'Punitive Expedition' of 1897. They are now displayed in the British Museum which resists all claims from Nigeria to return them.

[img]http://3.bp..com/_ZDRJSkZL9Q4/THTb52Yx3nI/AAAAAAAAAKA/XqZhFpih1x8/s1600/P1070761.JPG[/img]

https://content.ewedding.com/50/1266850/l1119653.jpg

BENIN

LOCATED IN THE HEART OF BENIN CITY,RING ROAD BENIN CITY

https://www.galerie-herrmann.com/arts/art3/Ife_Benin/58_Relief_Tieropfer/Tieropfer_gr.jpg

Relief Plaque with Animal Sacrifice:


Ritual activities occurred in a yearly cycle at the palace, the heart of Benin; some were conducted in private for the king, others publicly for the general population. Sacrifices in which the king had a large number of animals killed were integral elements of almost all public rituals in Benin. The public slaying of cattle depicted on this relief was considered the highest form of local immolation.

A large master of ceremonies draped with bells stands in the middle of this plaque and is in the process of decapitating a cow with his sickle-like knife. Five aides pull on the head and legs of the probably already dead animal, while two very small figures stand in the background, both also armed. The striking size differential amongst the figures could be an indication of their respective prominence. Accordingly, the large figure in the middle would quite clearly be the plaque's central and most important character, while the two very small figures at the top would be the lowest-ranked. Their relatively small size could, however, instead be interpreted as an attempt at perspective - already in the 17th century.

This relief is a masterpiece in more than just the technical sense. A cast-bronze plaque like this one requires a quite complicated casting process, which indicates that at the time of its creation, Benin must already have had a long tradition of bronze casting. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for the slaughtered, sacrificial animal to hover in front of the plaque as it does, creating a wonderful, three-dimensional effect.

Cp.:
Paula Girshick BEN-AMOS: The art of Benin, London 1980, S. 70.
W./ B. FORMAN, Philip DARK: Die Kunst von Benin, Prag 1960, S. 44.

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/humanworld/worldcultures/africa/graphics/large/altarhead.jpg



Edo, Benin City, Nigeria, 15th century AD
Accession Number 24.4.1899.20

This realistic head dates from the earliest period of Edo court sculpture, before European contact in the late 15th century, because bronze sculpture progressed from a naturalistic to a more formal style. It is small and finely cast because bronze was scarce.

In America: The city. Why? Because the countryside = boring.


In Nigeria: The countryside. Safer, cleaner, less noisy, etc.

I can see that I hit a nerve. AGAIN.


Good.


All because I pointed out how pointless this thread is.


Hopefully this pointless thread will die a natural death in the near future, and stop cluttering the foreign affairs section.

More on Tinubu:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-612806.0.html

^^^

The behavior of a rascal.


Tinubu tried to make half his family legislators.

Verdict:

https://movie-shop.us/pictures/Rascal.jpg

"Medicine after death"

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=590933.msg7826538#msg7826538 date=1299020928]"PhysicsMHD  12:06:52 AM Viewing the topic London Company Sells bosom Milk Icecream."  hahahahaha. hehehehehe.[/quote]Yeah, that thread was waaaaaay more interesting than this one.

Tinubu's rascally nature is well established, though. Even the president pointed it out.

cindelite:
aktly neva been to ma village and dnt knw wat it luks like bt am sure urz is beta by miles and for your info am educating ma own ppl go do same 4 the ones in your village aswell seeing as its top notch.

not gna get dragged into your argument, i bet u spend your whole day on NL lukin for ppl 2 argue with ryt i mean u spend your time reading ma first, second, and third post and logically in your dumb head all u read was dis guys hates ghana, its sad reli, if your nigerian u need re-education cos most nigerians dat i knw reason logically not like a cow, nt gna reply u nemore neways like i sed onli gna reply ppl with constructive and logical reasoning nt ppl like u douchbag,

In English?

And this one claims to be educating people.

lol, fine. I'll leave this thread alone, but it seems like it's just going to start another one of those Ghana-Nigeria internet wars.

9266 views. . .from 6 people?


Sad.


This wayward thread should probably just die.

^^^

Tinubu is a rascal though. I hope you at least acknowledge that. One of the single shadiest characters in Nigerian politics.

cindelite:
dumbass, do i like look like someone obsessed with ghana to u, read my first paragraph and you will see the people am referring to there, dnt knw hw people like u get access to computer its sad reli,

Uh, I read your entire first post.

And then the next one.


And then the next one after that.


And my question still stands.

cindelite: because even d most silly and dumbest person in d world knows that der's no competition there because the ghanaians are disadvantaged in all ramifications. i'll give u lot some points with reasons and references.

Why take your time to do all that if you're not obsessed? What good does it do? Your village is probably still a sh1thole.


Just sayin'.

Why are you obsessed with Ghana?






How does claiming to be better than Ghana make your own country better?

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=590933.msg7826121#msg7826121 date=1299016471]Good lookin' out![/quote]Fixed.




[quote author=isale_gan2]This is a general thread to continue our discussion re: America, Life Abroad, whether Buzugee is a misogynist or simply looking out for the womenfolk, etc.

This should get you started. I have to go but will add to this when I return. Meanwhile, it's your show, Badagry. Cheesy Go on and elaborate.[/quote]@ OP

Pointless thread.

I suppose you're probably right. I know the Scottish and English have a lot of beef. But the view they probably have of the UK monarchy as English is ironic since it was their (Scottish) king that initiated the unification of the monarchies. Otherwise they might still have a purely Scottish king/queen.

ifele:
The real Yorubas are the light-skinned ones who speak Yoruba language. The dark skinned ones are not Yoruba they are awowesidi. Pupa is the master race. The dudu are the inferiors. Pupa do not intermarry with the dudu because it is defiling your noble blood.

fstranger3:
If it tastes like Iyan, looks like Iyan, there is egusi with Bokoto next to it, and you have to pound "isu Ewura" to prepare it, my friend it is no doubt my favorite delicacy, IYAN.

It is called deductive reasoning my dear. I dont begrudge you of your ignorance and low IQ, it is, guess what, BAT aka Omo Alhaja aka Ojuyobo aka Dele from Iragbiji, I hold responsible; after all, he was a former governor of Lagos, and it is he who ought to be held responsible for all the ills that ail Nigeria, including your laziness.

lol

Classic.

ezeagu:
The whole of Western Europe is involved in the UK monarchy. The Scottish people don't recognise the UK monarchy as their own.

You might be right, although I have never heard the Scottish people denouncing the UK monarchy as not also theirs, so until you provide some evidence for this . . .it's seems like speculation on your part. Obviously there are some Scots that want an independent Scotland, but that's kind of another matter entirely.

My comment was referring to the fact that it was actually a Scottish king (James I of "England" that unified the monarchies of Scotland and England, and not the other way around. So they've been involved since the 1600s.

If you saw that movie, The Queen (I saw it on an airplane; I wouldn't have paid to see it), you would have noticed all those royals, including the Queen and her husband, wearing Scottish kilts. Assuming the depiction was reasonably accurate, it would be pretty weird behavior for them to engage in, if they weren't acknowledging their Scottish ancestry.

ezeagu:
An edit of a Welsh, Scottish and Irish man.

The Scots are involved in the UK Monarchy.


As for the other two, I agree.