Detail View: The AMICA Library: Three-Figure Plaque
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1999.1
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Sculpture
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Creator Name:
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Unknown
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Creator Nationality:
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African; West African; Nigerian
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom
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Title:
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Three-Figure Plaque
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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c. 1500-1700
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Creation Start Date:
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1500
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Creation End Date:
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1700
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Materials and Techniques:
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cast brass
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Style or Period:
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Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 45.72cm x 38.1cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1999.1
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Credit Line:
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John L. Severance Fund
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Rights:
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Context:
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Since the 1300s, the Edo people of southern Nigeria have been ruled by a dynasty of divine kings, known as obas. By the 1500s the oba's palace, located at the heart of Benin City, was splendidly decorated with numerous brass plaques depicting historical events and court life. The plaques, as well as many ritual objects made for the oba's ancestral altars, were cast using the lost-wax method. A wax version of the work was modeled and then encased in a clay mold. Heating hardened the clay and melted out the wax, leaving a hollow cavity into which the molten metal was poured.This plaque is an outstanding exemplar of the naturalism and technical skill characteristic of Benin's artistic apogee during the 1500s and 1600s. The oba is portrayed in the center, supported on either side by two noblemen. The oba's regalia embodies both wealth and spiritual power. Coral beads symbolic of the sea god adorn his head, neck, torso, and legs. Crocodile-head brass pendants emphasize his power to punish. Richly patterned cloth is wrapped around his waist.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1999.1.tif
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