Benin Kingdom Equestrian Figures (African Art)

Abstract

The ancient kingdom of Benin was a great center of African art, famous for its objects in bronze and ivory. Equestrian Figures are also one of the prominent art work, belonged to Benin kingdom. This paper is aimed at exploring art of Equestrian Figures i.e. figures mounted on horseback. The differences in interpretation of the figures are discussed in this paper along with an elaborated analysis of features of an Equestrian Figure placed in a museum. In the appendix, figures are too provided for illustration.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Discussion & Analysis5

Background of Benin Kingdom: The Origin of Benin Art5

Lost-Wax Process of Metal Casting6

Dissimilarities in Interpretation of Equestrian Figure7

Equestrian Figures of Benin Kingdom at the Merseyside County Museums9

Conclusion11

Annotated Bibliography12

References13

Benin Kingdom Equestrian Figures (African Art)

Introduction

The ancient kingdom of Benin was a great center of African art, located in the south of present-day Nigeria. The kingdom of Benin was made famous by the objects in bronze and ivory when it relates to African art and culture. Made under royal command only, they were objects with spiritual and religious value. Igun-Eronmwon (members of the guild of bronze casters) was commissioned by the Oba (King) to build a bronze-cast of noteworthy events that happened.

Viewed nowadays as important works of art, the bronze and ivory pieces had diverse purposes in the ritual and court life in Benin. Their primary purpose, as court art was, to exalt the godlike king and the powerful empire's history. The capital of the Edo Kingdom of Benin, Benin City, had turn out to be a dynamic metropolis of over half a million people and was headed by Oba Erediauwa, who has revived the arts encompassing brass casting. The Lost Wax method of metal casting goes back over 6,000 years. This method was used by artificers of ancient Egypt, the Han Dynasty of China Mesopotamia, and the Benin civilization of Africa to cast artifacts and tools. However, it is still a debatable topic that to whom, the credit of development of technique goes.

This paper is aimed at exploring art of Equestrian Figures i.e. figures mounted on horseback. The original importance of dozen or so Benin Bronze statuettes (Fig. 1) scattered in collections throughout the world remains problematic. (Tunis 1979, Karpinski, 1984) Though, there is much divergence regarding the individuality of these equestrian figures in Benin, a number of analyses have been proffered that elucidate the implication of the over half a dozen known equestrian statuettes and the single plaque. Nevadomsky construes these figures as depictions of the Ata of Idah. Other researchers too reflect on these statuettes. Their contemplation will be discussed in detail, along with a detailed analysis of attributes of Equestrian figure placed in Museum of Merseyside County.

Discussion & Analysis

Background of Benin Kingdom: The Origin of Benin Art

Benin is an ancient Edo state located in present-day southern Nigeria. For nearly 3,000 years Edo peoples have inhabited a large area west of the Niger River in what is now the Benin province of southern ...