Benin Style Bronze Janus Figure, 20th Century CE
Bronze
21.25
DK.064 (LSO)
This intriguing piece is a very rare – and possibly unique – Janus figure created in the style of the Benin group of Nigeria. It depicts a single-bodied male individual...
This intriguing piece is a very rare – and possibly unique – Janus figure created in the style of the Benin group of Nigeria. It depicts a single-bodied male individual with two sets of arms and two sets of legs, and a single head with faces in either direction. He is wearing a single costume resembling a tunic down to the knees, and an ornate shoulder-panel that resembles armour. The martial appearance of the piece is heightened by a pair of swords, one held in each right hand. The left hands hold what might be intended to be pipes, but are more likely to be the decapitated heads of foes. The apex of the head is covered with a dauntingly elaborate and decorated hat/crown, with various geometric motifs, and a central spike for holding the piece (?). The facial rendering is superb, as is the rest of the detailing. The metal has acquired a dark patina of age and use.
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 this point, 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. Brass or bronze Oba heads were used to honour the memory of a deceased king. Typically, the son of the dead king – the new Oba – would pay tribute to his father by erecting an altar in his memory. These altars, low platforms of mud that were arrayed around the perimeter of the royal courtyards, were decorated with various artefacts alluding to the Oba’s achievements in life, including the heads, spears, statues, cast brass altars depicting the Oba and his followers, brass bells to awaken the spirits, rattle-staffs (ukhurhe) and magical objects that included Neolithic celts (known as “thunder stones”). The new king would pay homage to his father in this way, guaranteeing the succession and demonstrating the continuity of divine kingship. This piece is likely to have been placed on such an altar.
Janus figures sometimes occur in African art – notably the Cross River District – and their symbolism has been extensively and inconclusively argued over. Tribes with little apparent affinity with one another (including the Mahongwe, Lega, Kuyu, Dogon and Hemba, among many others) have all produced multi-individual figures, and it is unlikely that they all have the same motivation for so doing. The Lega rationale for producing such pieces is to express the perspicacity and powers of observation etc of senior members of the Bwami society, while Mahongwe (Kota) reliquary figures were designed to look after the bones of the dead and thus safeguard the living. The nature of African art means that Janus figures may be confused with representations of conjoined (“Siamese”) twins, which also occur with some frequency. The current piece is clearly intended to represent an Oba, judging from the clothing and regalia, and it is probable that it is a metaphorical rather than figural (i.e. directly representationalist) piece, intended to show some aspect of the Oba’s wisdom and/or power.
This is an impressive piece of African art.
Further reading:
Ezra, K. 1992. Royal Art of Benin: the Perls Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, US.
Bacquart, J. 1998. The Tribal Arts of Africa. Thames and Hudson, UK.
Phillips, T. (ed). 1999. Africa: The Art of a Continent. Prestel.
Von Sydow, E. 1932. The Image of Janus in African Sculpture. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 5: 1. pp. 14-27
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 this point, 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. Brass or bronze Oba heads were used to honour the memory of a deceased king. Typically, the son of the dead king – the new Oba – would pay tribute to his father by erecting an altar in his memory. These altars, low platforms of mud that were arrayed around the perimeter of the royal courtyards, were decorated with various artefacts alluding to the Oba’s achievements in life, including the heads, spears, statues, cast brass altars depicting the Oba and his followers, brass bells to awaken the spirits, rattle-staffs (ukhurhe) and magical objects that included Neolithic celts (known as “thunder stones”). The new king would pay homage to his father in this way, guaranteeing the succession and demonstrating the continuity of divine kingship. This piece is likely to have been placed on such an altar.
Janus figures sometimes occur in African art – notably the Cross River District – and their symbolism has been extensively and inconclusively argued over. Tribes with little apparent affinity with one another (including the Mahongwe, Lega, Kuyu, Dogon and Hemba, among many others) have all produced multi-individual figures, and it is unlikely that they all have the same motivation for so doing. The Lega rationale for producing such pieces is to express the perspicacity and powers of observation etc of senior members of the Bwami society, while Mahongwe (Kota) reliquary figures were designed to look after the bones of the dead and thus safeguard the living. The nature of African art means that Janus figures may be confused with representations of conjoined (“Siamese”) twins, which also occur with some frequency. The current piece is clearly intended to represent an Oba, judging from the clothing and regalia, and it is probable that it is a metaphorical rather than figural (i.e. directly representationalist) piece, intended to show some aspect of the Oba’s wisdom and/or power.
This is an impressive piece of African art.
Further reading:
Ezra, K. 1992. Royal Art of Benin: the Perls Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, US.
Bacquart, J. 1998. The Tribal Arts of Africa. Thames and Hudson, UK.
Phillips, T. (ed). 1999. Africa: The Art of a Continent. Prestel.
Von Sydow, E. 1932. The Image of Janus in African Sculpture. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 5: 1. pp. 14-27