Benin - Nigeria
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Current bid
€ 45
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Dimitri André
Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.
Estimate € 400 - € 450
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Description from the seller
A hip mask - Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ - in the style of Benin, with a thick patina embedded with numerous different layers. Includes base. Certificate of origin and provenance.
Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ (suspended masks) is a general term; however, each mask has a different name depending on the subject depicted. For example, if a Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ represents Iy’ọba Idia, it would be called ‘Uhunmwun-Idia’.
The Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ are one of the most well-known categories of art works in Benin. A range of human and animal heads is depicted, hence the term 'mask,' although they were not used to cover the face. Sometimes called 'hip masks,' they can be worn at the waist or hung on the hip, as seen on relief plaques and in carved motifs on sanctuary defenses. Many hanging masks feature a series of eyelets around the lower edge, to which small rattles were attached, and when the wearer moved, they produced a sound.
The material – ivory or brass – and the depicted iconography were important factors in determining who could wear the masks and why. For example, pendant masks shaped like leopard heads could be worn by warriors and those involved in the army, while ivory masks were only worn by high dignitaries Ezomo or Iyase (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, p.363). Meanwhile, brass pendant masks shaped like crocodile heads were the prerogative of the Ọba, who wore them in a set of three along the front of his belt (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, p.365).
Often, hanging masks also depict human faces, generally but not always male. Although scholars disagree, it has been suggested that they could represent the Ọba, or perhaps defeated chiefs (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, pp.358, 362). The faces of Portuguese men are also identifiable by their straight hair and beards, reflecting the importance of relations between the Kingdom of Benin and Portugal in the 16th century. The magnificent hanging masks of Queen Idia, carved in ivory and which have become emblematic of FESTAC '77, are a notable exception to the predominantly male representations on hanging masks.
Benin Digital
Height: 22 cm without base.
Collection El Hadji Ibrahim Ousmane
A hip mask - Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ - in the style of Benin, with a thick patina embedded with numerous different layers. Includes base. Certificate of origin and provenance.
Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ (suspended masks) is a general term; however, each mask has a different name depending on the subject depicted. For example, if a Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ represents Iy’ọba Idia, it would be called ‘Uhunmwun-Idia’.
The Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ are one of the most well-known categories of art works in Benin. A range of human and animal heads is depicted, hence the term 'mask,' although they were not used to cover the face. Sometimes called 'hip masks,' they can be worn at the waist or hung on the hip, as seen on relief plaques and in carved motifs on sanctuary defenses. Many hanging masks feature a series of eyelets around the lower edge, to which small rattles were attached, and when the wearer moved, they produced a sound.
The material – ivory or brass – and the depicted iconography were important factors in determining who could wear the masks and why. For example, pendant masks shaped like leopard heads could be worn by warriors and those involved in the army, while ivory masks were only worn by high dignitaries Ezomo or Iyase (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, p.363). Meanwhile, brass pendant masks shaped like crocodile heads were the prerogative of the Ọba, who wore them in a set of three along the front of his belt (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, p.365).
Often, hanging masks also depict human faces, generally but not always male. Although scholars disagree, it has been suggested that they could represent the Ọba, or perhaps defeated chiefs (Blackmun in Plankensteiner, 2007, pp.358, 362). The faces of Portuguese men are also identifiable by their straight hair and beards, reflecting the importance of relations between the Kingdom of Benin and Portugal in the 16th century. The magnificent hanging masks of Queen Idia, carved in ivory and which have become emblematic of FESTAC '77, are a notable exception to the predominantly male representations on hanging masks.
Benin Digital
Height: 22 cm without base.
Collection El Hadji Ibrahim Ousmane
Details
Ethnic group/ culture
Benin
Country of Origin
Nigeria
Material
Bronze
Sold with stand
Yes
Condition
Good condition
Height
22 cm
Weight
670 g
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