Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom / Three-Figure Plaque / c. 1500-1700

Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom
Three-Figure Plaque
c. 1500-1700
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Creator Name: Unknown
Creator Nationality: African; West African; Nigerian
Creator Name-CRT: Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom
Title: Three-Figure Plaque
Title Type: Primary
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1500
Creation End Date: 1700
Creation Date: c. 1500-1700
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials and Techniques: cast brass
Dimensions: Overall: 45.72cm x 38.1cm
AMICA Contributor: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number: 1999.1
Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
Rights: http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html
Style or Period: Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom
Context: 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.
AMICA ID: CMA_.1999.1
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright, The Cleveland Museum of Art

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