一对仪式公鸡——埃多传统，贝宁王国——尼日利亚 - 一对仪式公鸡 – 埃多传统，贝宁王国 – 尼日利亚 - Edo - 贝宁 (没有保留价)

PAIR OF CEREMONIAL ROOSTERS – TRADITION EDO, KINGDOM OF BENIN – NIGERIA
N°1
HEIGHT: 18 cm
WIDTH: 8 cm
DEPTH: 8.7 cm

N°: 2
HEIGHT: 18.6 cm
WIDTH: 8.2 cm
DEPTH: 8.7 cm

This pair of roosters is part of the great artistic tradition of the Benin Kingdom royal court, developed by the Edo people in present-day Nigeria. Metal work, notably brass and copper alloys using the lost-wax casting technique, constitutes one of the most prestigious artistic expressions of this civilization.

In the royal tradition of Benin, the rooster holds significant ceremonial and symbolic meaning. Representations in brass of this animal were placed on ancestral altars dedicated to Iyoba, the queen mothers of the kingdom. Historical examples preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art bear witness to this tradition.

The rooster also evoked poultry and other animals offered as tributes during ceremonies honoring royal ancestors. Its masculine character took on a particular significance in the Iyoba context: the queen mother held an exceptional position in the court hierarchy and enjoyed certain powers and privileges normally reserved for high male dignitaries.

The depiction of the animal is traditionally distinguished by richly worked and engraved plumage, a strongly drawn comb, and a proud, vertical stance. Court artisans thus transformed the rooster into a true image of prestige, associating symbolic power with the virtuosity of metalwork.

The present pair resumes this aesthetics: the two birds face each other, their bodies entirely covered with motifs evoking plumage, each resting on an openwork base with a geometric decor. The green and dark patina visible on the surface emphasizes the reliefs and gives the overall piece a particularly sculptural presence.

Beyond its decorative character, this iconography thus recalls the prestigious universe of Edo royalty, the worship of ancestors, and ceremonial traditions of the ancient Benin Kingdom.

Proposed attribution: in the Edo tradition style, Kingdom of Benin
Cultural origin: Nigeria
Subject: pair of ceremonial/royal roosters
Technique: metal casting, to be confirmed after object examination
Historical function of this type of iconography: royal and ancestral context, particularly associated with the mothers’ altars (Iyoba)

VERY BEAUTIFUL PIECES