This intimidating piece is a shrine figure, superficially resembling a crown. It is based around a helmet-like cap, bearing a male face with bulging eyes and snakes emanating from his nostrils (apparently a symbolic representation of powerful Obas en route to destroy their enemies). The forehead is marked with a six-pellet ikharo scarification, again proclaiming his Benin origin, and confirming that he is male. Standing on the base is a somewhat corpulent figure dressed as a bird; the head having a long beak and crest similar to a cock. Finely delineated feathers of the wings extend beyond the body on either side, and at the middle below the buttocks. The feet or claws are also those of a rooster. The figure holds a shield in his left hand and a snake-like staff in the right. At the warrior's feet is a severed head wearing a peaked cap.
Until the late 19th century, the Benin centres were a ruling power in Nigeria, dominating trade routes and amassing enormous wealth as the military and economic leaders of their ancient empire. This changed with the appearance of British imperial forces, which coveted the wealth of the royal palaces and found a series of excuses to mount a punitive expedition against the Oba’s forces in 1897. It was only at the moment of its destruction that the true achievements of the Benin polities became apparent to western scholars.
Benin royal palaces comprised a sprawling series of compounds containing accommodation, workshops and public buildings. As it grew, the buildings pertaining to previous Obas were either partially refurbished or left in favour of newer constructions; this led to a long history of royal rule written in sculptural works that rank among the finest that African cultures have ever produced; until European advances in the 19th century, they were the finest bronzes that had ever been made.
The significance of the piece is ambiguous but its intention is unmistakably one of power and assertiveness. These and other sculptures were traditionally placed upon altars in the royal compound following the death of the oba; they were intended to glorify and commemorate his memory. It is unusual to find the cockerel symbols, as cockerels were usually made for the Iyoba’s (queen mother) altars; the queen mother is associated with her son’s private life, and her title translates literally as “the rooster that crows at the head of the harem”.
This is a powerful and impressive piece.