The Edo people, an ethnic group of the West African coast, trace their roots back to the Kingdom of Benin, in Southern Nigeria. This Kingdom saw a period of wealth and power which facilitated its expansion across states and cultures, establishing a flourishing empire. In the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries AD the power of the empire stretched across most of West Africa, and those areas not under their control were indirectly influenced by the effect of their trade networks and material culture styles. European colonial expeditions quickly saw the opportunity for trade with this vast power. The Portuguese, British and French began trading ivory, pepper, slaves and gold with the Benin rulers, called Oba. Contact and business with foreign traders made the Obas of Benin immensely wealthy and powerful; European mercenaries, with fearsome gunpowder technology, were employed by Obas to conquer and subdue neighbouring kingdoms. Until the late Nineteenth Century AD, 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. The power of this empire was unequalled in its time, and the full extent of the rulers’ wealth only became apparent in the aftermath of its destruction. In the late Nineteenth Century AD, the British Empire sought to incorporate the Kingdom of Benin into its territories, offering it a position as a protectorate of the Empire due in large part to the monopoly Benin held on the palm oil trade, and heavy restrictions on foreign trade in the area. In AD 1892, a deal was struck, giving British merchants a mandate to trade in the region; however, in AD 1897, a delegation was sent by the British to Benin, as they felt the terms of the trade deal were not being respected. Alarmed, the Oba ordered an assault on this delegation, and many lives were lost. In retaliation, the British organised a now infamous punitive expedition into Benin City, effectively ending Benin independence. Due to this expedition, the world was introduced to Benin royal art, which remains to this day a testament to the mastery of metalworking that Benin artists had achieved, and some of the most famous pieces of African art.

Benin art is primarily based around a court context, and was designed to venerate the achievements and/or memory of the Obas, the divine rulers of the Benin polities. The artists and craftsmen were typically attached to a specific court, and charged with manufacture of objects solely for their ruler. Their work in bronze and copper, ironworking and sculpting in a range of materials that particularly included ivory was extremely refined and effective; indeed, smelting, forging and cire perdue (lost wax) metalworking methods rivalled any seen in Europe until the Nineteenth Century AD. Obas were immortalized as one or several bronze/brass heads, which were used as supports for holding elephant tusks in a crescent across the top of commemorative altars. Brass leopards, spears, statues, tableaux (depicting the Oba and his followers) bells (to awaken the spirits) and rattle-staffs (ukhurhe) are also known, although it is perhaps for the famous brass plaques that Benin artistic heritage is best known. In them it is possible to read the history of the Benin peoples, from the earliest kings to the arrival of the Portuguese explorers in the Fifteenth Century AD, to lion/leopard hunts and war scenes, populated by the Oba and his family, regal attendants, musicians, soldiers, noblemen and priests. In fact, it is the Portuguese who introduced much of the material used thereafter in Benin bronze casting. Portuguese merchants would exchange manillas, bracelets made of metal, usually a copper-zinc alloy, to the African populations instead of currency, which had no use or value to them. The Benin bronzes, then, are technically a misnomer, as the metal used is mainly brass.

This figure is a marvellous example of Benin metalworking. It is dated on the basis of stylistic considerations to the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries AD. The figure represented here is likely the goddess Irhevbu. This goddess belongs to a pantheon of deified heroes, which date to the Fifteenth Century AD. During the reign of Oba Ewuare, the Kingdom of Benin saw great civil strife. To pacify the kingdom, a group of brave warriors and royal ladies took control of the country, expelling rebels and restoring the Kingdom’s greatness. Irhevbu is one of these figures: she was the wife of Okhuaihe, the chief warrior of the kingdom,. However, Edo folklore tells us of the love story between Irhevbu and another one of the Benin heroes, the great warrior Ake. Ake was a paragon of virtue, a strong and brave warrior in the service of the Oba. His exploits in both battle and the hunt were legendary, especially his prowess with the bow and arrow, which earned him the epithet of Ake n’opkefi, ‘Ake, who never misses’. In Benin society, the wife of a hunter outranked almost all other wives, as the husband was one of the chief providers of sustenance for the community. It is seen as natural, then, that a woman would find the hunter an attractive occupation, and this belief held true in this story as well. Irhevbu was extremely attracted to Ake, and vice-versa. The chief, Okhuaihe, was acutely aware of his wife’s desires, and planned to keep Ake in his sights at all time. One day, during an expedition to the ‘Paradise’ (the Benin name for the coast), Okhuaihe saw Ake lagging behind. Unsuspecting, he continued his journey, expecting Ake to catch up soon. However, Ake’s plan was to feign tardiness, and instead hurry back to Benin. There, Ake and Irhevbu began their love affair, and fled to Ake’s homeland. Although this seems a scandalous act, Benin tradition sees this legend as the apex of romance, and depicts the couple together. In shrines to Ake, there is always mention, or representation of Irhevbu, and representations of Irhevbu always contain references to Ake.

This is the case for this statue as well. On the front and back panels of the pedestal are two bows and arrows, emblem of Ake. The statue is in a typical pose for this goddess, with outstretched hands and solid planted feet. The hands are a special element of Edo culture, where they represent power and action. Decorating hands and wrists with bracelet shows one’s resolve and spirit. She wears traditional Benin jewellery, coral beads, which are a signifier of power and status, on her pelvis. Her neck and shoulders are adorned with coral beads, a braided fibre collar and the leopard-tooth necklace called akon-ekpen. Her head sports a traditional hairstyle, with short tight braiding draping to her neck, and a circlet headdress, Her forehead and eyelids show signs of scarification, a practice indicating one’s rank in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Her mouth is slightly open, with an inviting smile, accentuating the delicate lines of her face and craftsmanship on the facial features. Benin bronzes of this period are true masterpieces. African artistry has been traditionally ignored by European institutions; in recent decades, we have only begun to scratch the surface of the true artistic and cultural qualities of traditional and contemporary expression of African culture. Through an important historical artefact such as this, one can appreciate the form and aesthetic qualities, while also being aware of the colourful and rich history of this kingdom.


Provenance: Acquired from Herbert Baker, Chicago, 1965.