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Background information
Made by: Unknown member of the brass casting guild of the Benin court Benin was a powerful and sophisticated West African Kingdom, founded in the 11th century by the Edo people. It was situated around the area of modern Benin City in the south-west of Nigeria. The Kingdom rose to the height of its powers during the 15th and 16th centuries, and commanded great respect from the early Portuguese visitors in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Kingdom continued until the late 19th century when British soldiers destroyed its capital and the Oba (King) was sent into exile. The British looted the city of its rich art traditions - in brass, iron, wood, leather, textiles and ivory, which, tragically and ironically, first alerted Europe to the level and range of achievement of Benin artists. Brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) plaques, were commissioned by various Obas, and cast by the brass casters guild using the lost-wax method illustrated in the video. Brass was a material reserved for royalty and chiefly use in Benin. It was enduring and permanent, and its 'red' and shiny qualities were believed to be protective of the king and the kingdom. The plaques (about 1000 were brought out of the city) were originally used to decorate the wooden pillars that supported the verandas in the courtyards of the Oba's palace. Here the ancestral shrines were located and the great state ceremonials and rituals took place. The plaques commemorate and celebrate battles and other historical events, illustrate the ceremonial and ritual life of the palace and the authority of the king. This plaque records the encounter between a Benin Chief, Chief Uwangue, with Portuguese traders on his right and left. It also celebrates the shift in trading interests of the Benin Kingdom from the inland forest routes, to the new wealth available from the river trade. This route was opened up by the early Portuguese traders. Chief Uwangue is wearing ceremonial dress of coral headdress and necklace, pea bell anklets and highly decorated skirt. The Portuguese, identified by their long straight hair, beards and moustaches and military uniforms both hold brass manillas (a Portuguese word that means bracelet), used as currency and in great demand by the Edo. Manillas are assumed to be the new source of brass that enabled the great expansion in casting in the 16th century. The Portuguese on the left holds a staff signifying authority. The large fish motif forms a link between the Oba's representative, Chief Uwangue, and the Portuguese trader from the sea. The fish can also be interpreted as emblematic of the place of Olokun, the sea. In the background are river leaf (water hyacinth) symbols It should be noted that since the restoration of kingship in Benin in 1914, Edo culture has experienced an extraordinarily vigorous and successful revival. |