Commemorative Head (uhunmwun elao) Portraying a King

Embedded with materials exclusive to royalty, this sculpture served as an idealized portrait of a past Benin oba (king). The use of highly valuable bronze and the depiction of precious coral beads that nearly consume the oba’s face, convey great power and luxury. This oba wears a beaded mesh cap, accentuated with large single beads and clusters, and a tall beaded collar that covers his chin and jaw. This portrait head was placed on a royal altar and also served as a pedestal for a carved ivory tusk, another costly substance that only the oba could access. In Edo belief, the head is the symbol of one’s well-being and spiritual destiny. Upon installation as king, an oba would commission a bronze head such as this in honor of his predecessor to maintain the bonds of ritual communication with royal ancestors.

Benin Kingdom Arts in Global Context

The copper alloy material comprising this sculpture originated from manillas, currency pieces Portuguese traders imported to the area after 1489.

The Benin Kingdom’s engagement with Europeans intensified over 300 years from the late 15th to 19th centuries. The kingdom received foreign products like manillas, guns, and cloth in exchange for ivory, palm oil, and pepper. During the 15th and 18th to 19th centuries, this commerce included captive people destined for trade as enslaved Africans.

Benin Kingdom art in European and American museum collections largely originates from a raid on Benin City in 1897. The British military burned the palace, confiscated the royal arts, and exiled the king (oba), Oba Ovonramwen. Much of this art then entered the market. The Benin Kingdom was reinstated in 1914 under British colonial rule until Nigeria’s independence in 1960. The current oba is Ewuare II.