Advanced Search 
Despite its heavy weight, this pendant would have been worn at the waist of the king, or oba, of Benin during special occasions. It depicts an oba flanked by his two most intimate attendants, called enobore. These special servants lift the oba’s arms for him and are dressed in the same elaborately beaded coral tunic and crown as the oba himself. All coral belonged to the king, and was given to courtiers to wear through his authority. The high basketry projections on their crowns are a mark of leadership in this region. The oba also wears the bead of rule on his chest, an emblem of authority since the sixteenth century. The artist has emphasized the importance of the central figure of the oba not only through his costume, but through subtle shifts in scale. His calves are stronger and more fully modeled than those of his attendants, and his body projects outward towards the viewer, commanding attention. The braided pattern on his skirt is echoed in the pair of intertwined mudfish at his feet. Mudfish are an attribute of the oba because they live in the rivers during the wet season and hibernate in the riverbed during the dry season. This ability to live in two realms is a metaphor for the oba’s power in both the world of the living and the spiritual realm of the gods and ancestors.
Pendant showing an Oba (King) and two dignitaries
Edo, Benin kingdom, Nigeria
18th–19th century
Medium/Technique
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Length x width: 18.4 x 13.3 cm (7 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Robert Owen Lehman Collection
Accession Number2018.222
CollectionsJewelry, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Pendants
Despite its heavy weight, this pendant would have been worn at the waist of the king, or oba, of Benin during special occasions. It depicts an oba flanked by his two most intimate attendants, called enobore. These special servants lift the oba’s arms for him and are dressed in the same elaborately beaded coral tunic and crown as the oba himself. All coral belonged to the king, and was given to courtiers to wear through his authority. The high basketry projections on their crowns are a mark of leadership in this region. The oba also wears the bead of rule on his chest, an emblem of authority since the sixteenth century. The artist has emphasized the importance of the central figure of the oba not only through his costume, but through subtle shifts in scale. His calves are stronger and more fully modeled than those of his attendants, and his body projects outward towards the viewer, commanding attention. The braided pattern on his skirt is echoed in the pair of intertwined mudfish at his feet. Mudfish are an attribute of the oba because they live in the rivers during the wet season and hibernate in the riverbed during the dry season. This ability to live in two realms is a metaphor for the oba’s power in both the world of the living and the spiritual realm of the gods and ancestors.
Provenance18th/19th century, probably commissioned from the Igun Eronmwon, or royal brasscasters guild, by a member of the court of Benin. By 1984, Mathias Komor (dealer; d. 1984), New York; by 1984, sold by Komor to Robert Owen Lehman, New York; 2018, gift of Robert Owen Lehman to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 19, 2018)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Although the early provenance of this object is not recorded, it is likely that British forces looted it from the Royal Palace in Benin City in 1897. At that time troops occupied the city and seized approximately 4,000 works of art; these objects then made their way to European collectors, dealers, and museums. It is also possible that it left Benin City at a later date or by other means that have not been documented.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Although the early provenance of this object is not recorded, it is likely that British forces looted it from the Royal Palace in Benin City in 1897. At that time troops occupied the city and seized approximately 4,000 works of art; these objects then made their way to European collectors, dealers, and museums. It is also possible that it left Benin City at a later date or by other means that have not been documented.