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Prince Odogbo with companions (?)
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The three unclothed young men with coral necklaces and ankles, whose bodies are tattooed or painted, are probably not the king's personal servants (emada), who are usually depicted unclothed. According to oral tradition, this panel is now regarded as a depiction of Prince Odogbo, who later became King Ohuan (1608-1641). When he was born, it was rumoured that the newborn was a girl. After his appointment as heir to the throne, he had to prove his male gender by appearing unclothed.

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Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
Relief plaque
Dimensions
Weight: 9 kg
Height: 39 cm
Depth: 6,4 cm
Width: 32,2 cm
Material/Technique
Brass, copper alloy
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 8755

Provenance and sources

where
Benin [kingdom]
when
16th century
where
Nigeria [Land]
Benin [Königreich]
who
William Downing Webster (de.fiz.ddb.model.ddbobject.WhenType$Begin@7c168cf3 - de.fiz.ddb.model.ddbobject.WhenType$End@5037776e) - Collectors
Description
16th cent, commissioned by Oba Esigie (r. 1517-1550) or his son Oba Orhogbua (r. 1550-1570), royal palace, Benin City; by inheritance to Oba Ovonramwen (ca. 1857-1914; r. 1888-97), Royal Palace, Benin City; looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; owner between 1897 and 1899 currently unknown; acquired by William D. Webster through the Royal Museum of Ethnology, Berlin, 1899.

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Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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