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Altar group of a Queen Mother

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As after the death of a king, memorial altars were also erected for queen mothers after their death. While only memorial heads have survived from Benin's early phase, altar groups can also be found in the 18th and 19th centuries, as with the royal altars. In the centre stands the Queen Mother with the typical high headdress made of coral beads. She is flanked by two accompanying female figures who are warding off negative spiritual forces with raised shields. In front of them are two more youthful servants. The two in front carry round fans.

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Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
Plastic
Dimensions
Height: 36,7 cm
Depth: 36,3 cm
Width: 31 cm
Weight: 28,5 kg
Material/Technique
Brass, copper alloy
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 8166

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Benin [kingdom]
  • Production
    when
    18th cent.
    where
    Nigeria
  • Collecting
    who
    Eduard Schmidt - Collectors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    18th 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; in unknown possession after the conquest of the Kingdom of Benin; collected by Consul Eduard Schmidt, employee of the Woermann line, between 1897 and 1898 in the territory of later colonial Nigeria; sold to the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin, 1898.
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

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