ObjectNumber_Original
VO_98159
Institution
Weltmuseum Wien
English designations
Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
Heldenplatz, 1010 Wien, Austria
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Commemorative Queen Mother Head
Commemorative Queen Mother Head

Iconographies

4 annotations
Colar Bead
Odigba
Coral beaded collar

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie (Inneh 2007, p. 107). Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

1 annotation
Odigba
Ikharo
Forehead markings

Ikharo are linear keloid markings depicted on the forehead of Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads) in groups of three or four above each eye. The exact meaning of Ikharo is debated; some have argued that they relate to the gender or tribal identification of the person on whom they are depicted. For example, has argued that they were worn only by men; however, their use in depictions is not consistent with this, and the Iy’Ọba are also shown wearing them. argued that they are instead a stylistic feature employed by artists that varied over time.

The naming of these markings differs between publications. For example, describe these markings as “agbaguda n'ehae”, which they write translates literally as “blades of the forehead”. However, later went on to call these “ikharo”, as used here. referred to these forehead markings as ikharo, meaning “tribal mark [of eye]”.

1 annotation
Ikharo
Ititi ako
Star beads

The Ititi ako is a cluster of coral beads, usually three or four, attached to a pin and used to embellish the royal crowns on Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads) and Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ (pendant masks). These bead clusters are also known as star beads, which indicate the prosperous destiny of an individual or wearer. Apart from enhancing the appearance of the wearer, they also represent the individual’s high social status. Judging from their presence on a variety of head sculptures, both men and women wore Ititi ako.

1 annotation
Ititi ako
Udahae
Beaded forehead band

The Udahae is a forehead band made from coral beads and worn by chiefs. Sometimes a white Igan (feather) from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) is tucked into the left side of the Udahae. According to Benin oral tradition, the Udahae was introduced by Ọba Ezoti, the first son of Ọba Ewuare I. During his coronation, Ezoti was shot in the forehead with a poisoned arrow. To stop the bleeding, a band of red beads was wrapped around his forehead while he made public appearances. Fourteen days later, he died from his wound. Since then, Benin chiefs have worn the red-beaded Udahae around their foreheads to commemorate the cap used by Ezoti to stop the bleeding (Egharevba 1968, p. 21).

1 annotation
Udahae

Provenance

4 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin - February 1897 from Benin Kingdom.
Unknown
1909
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer, later in Leipzig.
Unknown
1918
The object is known to have come into contact with Hans Meyer and the Weltmuseum Wien, in Leipzig and later Vienna.

Related archival documents

1 documents
See all
An archival document representing a Inventories of 1 page(s)
InventoryAccession Record
Weltmuseum Wien
Inventory book - objects

Institution data

Weltmuseum Wien
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-05-24
Languages: german, english
Institution fieldValue
ObjectNumber_Original
object id
VO_98159
NativeTitle
edo designation
uhunmwun elao
TextEntry
description
Dieser Gedenkkopf einer Königinmutter ist Teil der historischen Sammlungen aus dem Königreich Benin im heutigen Nigeria. 1897 wurde das Königreich erobert und dessen Oba (König) Ovonramwen ins Exil verbannt. Die aus dem Königspalast geraubten Kunstschätze
Medium
material
Gelbguss
Medium_en
material
Brass
ObjectName
object type
Gedenkkopf einer Königinmutter (Iyoba)
ObjectName_en
object type
Commemorative Head of a Queen Mother (Iyoba)
DateBegin
date made
1800
DateEnd
date made
1900
Dated
date made
19. Jahrhundert
Dated_en
date made
19th century
Period
date made
Term
production place
Afrika südlich der Sahara
Term2
production place
West-Afrika
Term3
production place
Nigeria
Term4
production place
Benin
Thesaurus
production place
Afrika südlich der Sahara/West-Afrika/Nigeria/Benin
Provenance
provenance
Role_person
provenance
Sammlung-Collection-Hans Meyer|
Culture
ethnic attribution
Edo, Benin Königreich
Culture_en
ethnic attribution
Edo, Benin Kingdom
CreditLine
department and institution
Weltmuseum Wien
Department
department and institution
MVK Objekte - Afrika südlich der Sahara
Zugangsdatum
accession date
1918
LocationString
display status
Raum Me.40
FileName
images
VO_98159_1.jpg|
PrimaryImage
images
VO_98159_1.jpg
Classification
||
DepartmentID
35
Department_cut
Afrika südlich der Sahara
DisplayOrder
1|2|
Last_Modified
2021-12-06 08:15:34
LocationID
75091
ObjectID
428244
ObjectNumber
98159
PublicAccess
1
SortNumber
VO 98159
TextDate_en
|
TextEntryHTML
Dieser Gedenkkopf einer Königinmutter ist Teil der historischen Sammlungen aus dem Königreich Benin im heutigen Nigeria. 1897 wurde das Königreich erobert und dessen Oba (König) Ovonramwen ins Exil verbannt. Die aus dem Königspalast geraubten Kunstschätze
TextEntryHTML_en
This Commemorative Head of a Queen Mother part of the historical collections from the Benin Kingdom, in present-day Nigeria. In 1897, the kingdom was conquered and Oba (king) Ovonramwen banned into exile. The loot from the royal palace was then sold throu
TextEntry_en
This Commemorative Head of a Queen Mother part of the historical collections from the Benin Kingdom, in present-day Nigeria. In 1897, the kingdom was conquered and Oba (king) Ovonramwen banned into exile. The loot from the royal palace was then sold throu
cxrDisplayOrder
1|
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