Ọyanyan (horses), along with their riders, are significant motifs in the visual language of the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), appearing across various media and periods. Although the Benin Kingdom lies in the tropical region of West Africa affected by the tsetse fly, according to oral tradition, a small, stocky breed of horses introduced via trade routes from Nupe and Hausa was known in the kingdom from the 13th century (Dolz in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 215, p. 434).

In 1505, King Manuel of Portugal sent a horse, alongside other luxurious gifts such as satin and Indian silk, to one of the Ọbas, most likely Ẹsigie, as a gift (Ryder 1969, p. 41). An account believed to have been written by the Dutch traveller Dierick Ruiters in 1602 described how he travelled from the port of Ughoton to Benin City on horseback (Blackmun in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 138, p. 367). In the same account, Ruiters also described how the Ọba and his courtiers rode on horseback as part of ceremonial processions (Blackmun in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 221, p. 441). A scene of this kind is also featured in the view of the city of Benin in Olfert Dapper’s Description of Africa (1668).

Ọyanyan therefore embody themes relating to military power, foreign interaction, and royal authority (Nevadomsky 1986), as well as “dignity and achievement” (Curnow in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 115, p. 351).

The Ubanu'hi (infinity symbol) is a kind of guilloche or interlaced strapwork motif that can be angular or rounded. It was used by Edo artists in the decoration of many Emwin Arhe (royal treasures) and is ubiquitous in Benin royal arts. Ubanu'hi is a shortened form of “uba no Ọba ya de agbon ke ehimwin yi”, which means “the rope with which the Ọba ties the heaven and earth together” (pers. comm. Chief John Igbineweka Inneh n’Igbesawman, 2022). Similarly, Paula Ben-Amos Girshick (in Plankensteiner 2007, pp. 339, 341) described this as “Ọba n’iri agbon”, or the “rope of the world” pattern.

According to Ọbabanmu Ineh (in Blackmun 1984, p. 51), the use of this motif indicates that objects were carved by members of the Igbesanmwan. However, the motif is found on all types of Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), not only those made of ivory or wood. On the flanges of the Ama (relief plaques) alone, Kathryn Gunsch (2018, pp. 75–77) identified three different versions of the Ubanu'hi and, through her analysis of over 850 plaques, found that these different Ubanu'hi forms align with other characteristics, such as dimensions, the prevalence of ornamental motifs, and stylistic qualities. Together, these provide evidence, she argues, of different production groups among the plaque makers .

Kate Ezra (1992, pp. 209, 264) went on to argue that the use of these motifs indicates that certain objects were used in a “royal context” and were associated with “royal patronage”.