id
192410
Edo designations
English designations
Commemorative Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
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Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head
Commemorative Head

Iconographies

4 annotations
Igan
Feather

Igan (feathers) are commonly depicted tucked into the headdresses and hats of chiefs represented on Emwin Arre (royal treasures). These feathers are from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) and symbolise respected old age and proper chieftaincy ( ).

1 annotation
Igan
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
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

Provenance

3 events
Production
unknown to 1965
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igbesamwan guild in Benin City.
Purchase
1965 (approximate)
The object was purchased by Balint B. Denes from Nigeria to Evanston.
Gift
2007
The object was given as a gift by Balint B. Denes to the Art Institute of Chicago from Evanston to Chicago.

Institution data

Art Institute of Chicago
The data was downloaded via a public data access of the institution.
Last updated: 2021-02-08
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
accession
object id
2007.387
id
object id
192410
main_reference_number
object id
2007.387
title/0
designation
Altar Head for a Chief
description
description
<p>After death the obas (kings) of Benin are honored with altars that include stylized commemorative heads made of cast-copper alloy. This material has long been highly valued in Benin and until the early 20th century, it could only be used with permission of the oba. Important commoners have wood heads placed on their altars that are fashioned in a similar style to the royal commemorative heads. This wood head is embellished with decorative copper-alloy sheeting and would likely have been made for a high-ranking titleholder or chief loyal to the oba. There is a narrow cavity in the back designed to hold a wooden rod decorated with cowrie shells in imitation of the tall ivory tusks that rise from the commemorative heads of obas. The band of copper, pounded to appear as separate rows, likewise imitates the decorative bands encircling the oba commemorative heads, which reference the coral beads worn by actual obas as a symbol of divine leadership. The top of this head is crowned by a helmet patterned with alternating lines within a grid and a vertically projecting element on the left side. The figure’s face is relatively long and narrow, with full eyes and heavy lids, a wide nose and two parallel rows indicating a mouth.</p>
thumbnail/alt_text
description
A work made of wood and copper alloy.
material_titles
material
wood (plant material); copper alloy
medium_display
material
Wood and copper alloy
dimensions
dimensions
H. approx. 30.5 cm (12 in.)
classification_title
object type
ceremonial object
classification_titles
object type
ceremonial object; wood; copper alloy; arts of Africa; african art; altar; carving; sculpture; altar object; ritual objects
term_titles
object type
wood (plant material); ceremonial object; carving; ancestors; edo (african); copper alloy; wood; copper alloy; May 2020; arts of Africa; Arts of Africa; african art; people; altar; carving; metalworking; deceased; king; benin kingdom; sculpture; african Art; altar object; ritual objects; Coastal West Africa
color/h
colour
315
color/l
colour
47
color/percentage
colour
5.639808020934967E-4
color/population
colour
6
color/s
colour
0
subject_titles
iconography
ancestors; people; deceased; king
date_display
date made
19th/early 20th century
date_end
date made
1925
date_start
date made
1800
artist_title
ethnic attribution
producer
Edo
artist_titles
producer
Edo
technique_titles
production technique
carving; metalworking
place_of_origin
production place
Nigeria
credit_line
prior source
Gift of Balint B. Denes from the Alexandra Collection
provenance_text
provenance
Unknown owner, Nigeria; sold to Mr. Balint B. Denes, Evanston, Ill., and Oro Valley, Ariz., about 1965 [see correspondence in curatorial file]; given to the Art Institute, 2007.
artist_display
ethnic attribution
Edo, Court of Benin Nigeria Coastal West Africa
department_title
department and institution
Arts of Africa
exhibition_history
exhibition history
publication_history
bibliography
collection_status
legal status
Permanent Collection
is_public_domain
license
false
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image_id
images
814ddfec-d60f-5662-7151-7a155d4d893c
api_link
weblink
https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/192410
api_model
weblink
artworks
alt_classification_ids
TM-84; TM-11709; TM-14182; TM-13486; TM-12858; TM-440; TM-13; TM-12923; TM-12318
alt_material_ids
TM-2694
alt_style_ids
TM-14183; TM-12928; TM-13489; TM-13566
alt_subject_ids
TM-8810; TM-12922; TM-12921
alt_technique_ids
TM-4152
artist_id
37838
artist_ids
37838
category_ids
PC-1
category_titles
Arts of Africa
classification_id
TM-319
classification_ids
TM-319; TM-84; TM-11709; TM-14182; TM-13486; TM-12858; TM-440; TM-13; TM-12923; TM-12318
date_qualifier_id
date_qualifier_title
department_id
PC-1
document_ids
fiscal_year
2008
gallery_id
gallery_title
has_educational_resources
false
has_multimedia_resources
false
has_not_been_viewed_much
false
internal_department_id
43
is_boosted
false
is_on_view
false
is_zoomable
false
last_updated
2021-02-02T11:14:25-06:00
last_updated_source
2020-09-12T16:09:58-05:00
latitude
latlon
longitude
material_id
TM-2431
material_ids
TM-2431; TM-2694
max_zoom_window_size
843
pageviews
1020
pageviews_recent
20
publishing_verification_level
Web Cataloged
sound_ids
style_id
TM-6251
style_ids
TM-6251; TM-14183; TM-12928; TM-13489; TM-13566
style_title
edo (african)
style_titles
edo (african); Arts of Africa; benin kingdom; african Art; Coastal West Africa
subject_id
TM-12147
subject_ids
TM-12147; TM-8810; TM-12922; TM-12921
technique_id
TM-3863
technique_ids
TM-3863; TM-4152
text_ids
thumbnail/height
3187
thumbnail/width
2129
timestamp
2021-02-08T12:51:29-06:00
title/1/weight
1020
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here