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Lot Essay
The rectangular brass plaques, for which Benin is justly famous, were first mentioned by Olfert Dapper (1668) whose compilation of reports from Dutch travellers in the seventeenth century included the reference: 'The king's court is divided into many magnificent palaces but one larger than another, resting on wooden pillars, from top to bottom covered with cast copper, on which are engraved the pictures of their war exploits and battles, and are kept very clean.' (Paula Girshick Ben-Amos, The Art of Benin, London, 1995, p.41). C.H.Read and O.D. Dalton (Antiquities from the City of Benin and other parts of West Africa in the British Museum, London, 1899, reprinted by Hacker 1973) whose informants included the court historian Chief Ariyo wrote about the plaques. 'When the white men came, in the time when esige was king, a man named ahammangiwa came with them. He made brasswork and plaques for the king, he stayed a very long time - he had many wives but no children - the king gave him plenty of boys to teach. We can make brasswork now, but not as he made it because he and all his boys are dead.' (p.6).
Esigie was the fifth of the 'warrior kings' (to use Ben-Amos' phrase, p.21), victor of many memorable battles, not least one against the leader of the Igala peoples when he caused to have killed 'the bird of prophecy'. The story goes that when Esigie set out from Benin to confront the Atah of Idah on the eastern front of the Benin Empire, a bird flew overhead uttering cries which were interpreted as a portent of imminent disaster. Esigie ordered the bird to be killed and went on to win the war. The bird is usually believed to have been an ibis, but it may have become a compilation of avian attributes which now are more symbolic than representational. In any case, the bird was then immortalised in bronze on the top of a staff, ahianmwen-oro, and carried during the Ugie Oro rites by chiefs who during the ceremonies dance in a circle, beating with rods the beaks of the cast birds. The ceremonies were created in the sixteenth century by Esigie in remembrance of his wars and take place every five days over three months of each year. The King and chiefs dance in procession outdoing eachother in lavishness of dress, which has led to a Benin adage 'If a farmer participates in dancing Oro he will never take care of his farm'. To quote Ben-Amos further: 'This commemorative element appears to have been grafted by Esigie on a basically ancestral rite started by an earlier king, Oba Ewedo.' (p.101)
If Ben-Amos' surmise is correct that it is the Oba Esigie who is represented on a plaque in the British Museum, riding a horse and accompanied by a figure who holds a bird staff (see p.35, fig.21), then there is a strong possibility that the figure in the present plaque also depicts the great warrior king. His costume on the British Museum plaque is identical to that of the present figure. Of relevance is the beaded choker reserved for the highest chiefs, kings and Queen Mothers, and the cone on the top of the head (see F. von Luschan, Die Altertümer von Benin, 1919, p.170, fig.293), which is worn by very few high ranking chiefs who have special powers amongst which are to make human sacrifices. The idea of the woven cone is that it prevents anything being placed upon the head which would hinder the entry of a spirit. The three figures each holding a bird staff shown on a plaque in the British Museum (Read and Dalton, Pl. XXIX, von Luschan, p.181, fig.301) are high ranking chiefs because they wear the beaded chokers but not the cone with the feather nor a beaded cross sash. Similarly a single figure of a chief with a bird staff wears neither choker nor cone (W.D. Webster Cat.29, no.11660, von Luschan, p.181, fig.300). There appears to be no duplicate of the present plaque which so intrigued General Pitt-Rivers that he illustrated three views of it in his publication of 1900.
To date the plaques exactly is impossible. Esigie's reign lasted from c.1520 until c.1550 but no mention of plaques was made by Sir John Welsh on his visit to Benin City in 1588. The first plaques might already have been cast but not enough to display to the effect recorded by Dapper's informant who visited the city in about 1600. David van Nyandael, who visited the city 1699-1702, found it in decay: he describes the altars and accoutrements but makes no mention of plaques. The seventeenth century was a time of turmoil in the Benin Empire, with its boundaries extended beyond feasible administration, so it is unlikely that any plaques were cast, although it is just possible that some may have been during the first half of that century.
The rectangular design of the plaques certainly reflects a European influence and it is now generally accepted that the Ahammangiwa of Read and Dalton is not so much the name of a European but an amalgamation of Ihama, the second guild of brass casters, with a name of a Portuguese or half caste. The plaques were stored during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and consulted from time to time to clarify points of dress and etiquette, as confirmed to William Fagg and R.E.Bradbury in 1959 by Chief Osuma who was sent on such errands as a page at the court of Oba Adolo (c.1850-1888). Over time the scenes and people the plaques depicted have become obscured but there is a strong possibility that the figure in the present plaque could represent Oba Esigie.
Esigie was the fifth of the 'warrior kings' (to use Ben-Amos' phrase, p.21), victor of many memorable battles, not least one against the leader of the Igala peoples when he caused to have killed 'the bird of prophecy'. The story goes that when Esigie set out from Benin to confront the Atah of Idah on the eastern front of the Benin Empire, a bird flew overhead uttering cries which were interpreted as a portent of imminent disaster. Esigie ordered the bird to be killed and went on to win the war. The bird is usually believed to have been an ibis, but it may have become a compilation of avian attributes which now are more symbolic than representational. In any case, the bird was then immortalised in bronze on the top of a staff, ahianmwen-oro, and carried during the Ugie Oro rites by chiefs who during the ceremonies dance in a circle, beating with rods the beaks of the cast birds. The ceremonies were created in the sixteenth century by Esigie in remembrance of his wars and take place every five days over three months of each year. The King and chiefs dance in procession outdoing eachother in lavishness of dress, which has led to a Benin adage 'If a farmer participates in dancing Oro he will never take care of his farm'. To quote Ben-Amos further: 'This commemorative element appears to have been grafted by Esigie on a basically ancestral rite started by an earlier king, Oba Ewedo.' (p.101)
If Ben-Amos' surmise is correct that it is the Oba Esigie who is represented on a plaque in the British Museum, riding a horse and accompanied by a figure who holds a bird staff (see p.35, fig.21), then there is a strong possibility that the figure in the present plaque also depicts the great warrior king. His costume on the British Museum plaque is identical to that of the present figure. Of relevance is the beaded choker reserved for the highest chiefs, kings and Queen Mothers, and the cone on the top of the head (see F. von Luschan, Die Altertümer von Benin, 1919, p.170, fig.293), which is worn by very few high ranking chiefs who have special powers amongst which are to make human sacrifices. The idea of the woven cone is that it prevents anything being placed upon the head which would hinder the entry of a spirit. The three figures each holding a bird staff shown on a plaque in the British Museum (Read and Dalton, Pl. XXIX, von Luschan, p.181, fig.301) are high ranking chiefs because they wear the beaded chokers but not the cone with the feather nor a beaded cross sash. Similarly a single figure of a chief with a bird staff wears neither choker nor cone (W.D. Webster Cat.29, no.11660, von Luschan, p.181, fig.300). There appears to be no duplicate of the present plaque which so intrigued General Pitt-Rivers that he illustrated three views of it in his publication of 1900.
To date the plaques exactly is impossible. Esigie's reign lasted from c.1520 until c.1550 but no mention of plaques was made by Sir John Welsh on his visit to Benin City in 1588. The first plaques might already have been cast but not enough to display to the effect recorded by Dapper's informant who visited the city in about 1600. David van Nyandael, who visited the city 1699-1702, found it in decay: he describes the altars and accoutrements but makes no mention of plaques. The seventeenth century was a time of turmoil in the Benin Empire, with its boundaries extended beyond feasible administration, so it is unlikely that any plaques were cast, although it is just possible that some may have been during the first half of that century.
The rectangular design of the plaques certainly reflects a European influence and it is now generally accepted that the Ahammangiwa of Read and Dalton is not so much the name of a European but an amalgamation of Ihama, the second guild of brass casters, with a name of a Portuguese or half caste. The plaques were stored during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and consulted from time to time to clarify points of dress and etiquette, as confirmed to William Fagg and R.E.Bradbury in 1959 by Chief Osuma who was sent on such errands as a page at the court of Oba Adolo (c.1850-1888). Over time the scenes and people the plaques depicted have become obscured but there is a strong possibility that the figure in the present plaque could represent Oba Esigie.