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Ewua dignitaries

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The figure wears the rich clothing of a courtier, an apron with a raised end and an overcoat, as well as chains on the shackles, arms and around the neck. It is particularly characterised by the flat, round hat with brim, the tattoo at the corners of the mouth, the L-shaped hammer and the cross it wears in front of its chest. According to a Portuguese report from the end of the 15th century, the cross, a cosmological symbol, was worn by the "messenger of Ife", who confirmed the position of the newly crowned king. The founder of the Benin dynasty is said to have come from Ife, the spiritual centre of the neighbouring Yoruba. According to another interpretation, the figure is a member of the Ewua guild founded by Esigie, whose task it was to wake up the king every morning and perform ceremonies to strengthen his spiritual power. The cross associated with Oduduwa was also used in these ceremonies. The reference to Esigie played a central role in the reorganisation of kingship in the 18th century, which makes the interpretation of the figure as an Ewua dignitary likely.

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Cataloguing data

Object type
Plastic
Dimensions
Length: 23 cm
Width: 23 cm
Höhe x Breite x Tiefe: cm
Objektmaß: cm
Depth: 69 cm
Weight: 27,8 kg
Height: 63,6 cm
Depth: 16 cm
Width: 18 cm
Material/Technique
Brass
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 20297

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Benin [kingdom]
  • Production
    when
    18th century - 19th century
    where
    Nigeria
    Benin
  • Collecting
    who
    Theodor Glücksmann - Former Possessors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    18th century - 19th century, commissioned by the Igun Eronmwon or Guild of Brass Casters in the Kingdom of Benin; probably looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; probably owned by Sir Ralph Moor until ca. 1905; probably auctioned at Stevens' Auction Rooms Ltd, London (J.C. Stevens) ca. 1905; gift of Theodor Glücksmann to the Royal Museum of Ethnology Berlin, 1905.
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

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