Ritual Vessel. Ife,Yoruba
Made of Terra cotta, the ritual vessel has a height of 24.9 cm. It dates back to around 1300-50 CE/13th – 14th century.
The head of the King Oni is depicted in the middle of two abstract heads which represents inner essence with an altar. Oni is said to be the King of Nigeria, and his name means “sacred abode”. It is also a snake that is featured, coming on to the head and altar of Oni.
The snake is significant because they were said to be magical beings that could exist on two planes. The African culture believed that animals that travel in different elements, i.e. earth & water, earth & sky, are often associated with the ability to go between the spiritual and material worlds. The detailed Shrine is showing a head with vertical line facial marks, flanked by two conical forms (cone shaped). The two outside heads may have been a way of honoring or blessing the central portrait, King Oni. This a practice that survived among Yoruba royalty today.
There is a hole on the bottom of the vessel which was broken before it was buried. This was so that liquid offerings (libations) poured into the neck opening would flow into the earth giving it mystical power as a sacrificial offering.
MEMORIAL HEAD OF AN OBA.
Dating back to the 16th century CE. The Memorial Head of an Oba has a height of 23 cm, and is made of bass. It is usually grouped together with other object and was originally placed on a semi-circular platform called an “al ar”. It is surmounted by large elephant tusks which were a symbol of power. Having a origin from Benin, Benin heads have a lot of variety. They can be small, thinly cast, and naturalistic. Or even large, thickly cast, and highly stylized. Casting for the shrines of royal ancestors is a tradition which endures today with the successors of Oranmiyan. They group the heads within three different periods: Early, Middle, and Late. Over time heads grew heavier and increasingly more stylized. The strands of the beads increased in number until they covered the chin. Also, they started adding more elaborate beaded crowns. As they became more stylized, the memorial heads included representations of coral-beaded caps and necklaces with their royal threads.
Coral represented the ultimate symbol of the Oba’s power and authority. Brass was in a similar mindset because only the Oba could commission works in brass because it was considered more precious than gold. The increase in size and weight reflects the growing power and wealth flowing to the “Oba” from Benin’s expanding trade with Europe. The head is considered the symbolic center of a person’s intelligence, wisdom, and ability to succeed in the world. Also, it shows the ability to communicate with spiritual forces in the ancestral world, representing how the head leads the body as the king is supposed to lead the people.
Roped Pot on a Stand
From Igbo-Ukwu, dating back to the 9th-10th century CE. The roped pot on a stand is made of Leaded bronze, and has a height of 32.3 cm.
The pear-shaped pot sits on a pot stand and is ornamented with pinwheel-shaped openings. It is encircled by imitation rope-work that is tied into square knots at the junctions. Evidence of this mastery casting skills proves its establishment around the 9th century.
Originally, the pot was made in separate pieces that were later joined by additional casting. Such as, the flaring neck of the vessel just below the rim and the lower half of the pot stand were cast separately. Molten metal was applied to the edges of the separate castings to join them together. The lower part of the knotted rope was then bent inward to grip the pot stand.
The Pot stands are used to support containers placed on sacred altars. Water was usually contained in the vessels and was thought to never touch the ground before its use in ritual ceremony. The pot was excavated at Igbo-Ukwu. A town in the Nigerian state of Anambra, located in the southeastern part of the country. The town is made up of seven villages. This vessel is referred to as a skeuomorph. An object created in a different material from the original but made to resemble the original form.
Benin Altar. Palace of Benin, Edo Culture, Nigeria Per. & Date: c. 1959.
Benin heads were placed on the “al ar”. It was used to honor the deceased and commemorate their achievements.
In addition to it being a tool for maintaining communication between the living and the dead. It’s Primary means by which the new living Oba can commune with his predecessors for the good of the kingdom. This is because the new Oba was responsible for creating an altar for his father. This is also where they would make regular sacrifices of food or animal blood. Carved elephant tusks are placed here which were supposed to function as a visual bridge between the material realm and the world of the spirits. The whiteness of the ivory tusks represented the essence of harmony and spirituality.
