Benin Altar Vessel Representing an Oba
Nigeria
An altar vessel constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised as a tapering cylindrical body surmounted by the head of an Oba. The body expands gradually towards a broad circular foot, the surface articulated through continuous relief ornament distributed around the circumference.
Description
The head is double-faced, front and back. It bears a plaited coiffure, its braids falling to the collar, with knobbed elements along the crown, and is encircled by a broad multi-banded collar. A serpent in high relief descends from the mouth along the central vertical axis, terminating above a second human face set within the lower register. At each side of the vessel, a full-length figure stands in high relief; the two side figures correspond. Vertical bands of spiral ornament separate the principal motifs, creating a continuous decorative programme around the vessel. The reverse presents a corresponding arrangement, repeating the principal relief programme. Concentric arc motifs are set towards the foot beneath the side figures, and a cord-form band encircles the base.
Surface is compact and stable. Oxidation is retained within recessed fields, with exposure at projecting relief elements and perimeter edges. Relief modelling remains well preserved.
Context
Among the Benin, vessels of this type functioned within ancestral altar contexts associated with courtly commemorative practice.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1984.
Details
- Title
- Benin Altar Vessel Representing an Oba
- Culture
- Benin
- Origin
- Nigeria
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 45 cm (17.7 in) · W 25 cm (9.8 in) · D 23 cm (9.1 in)
- Medium
- Cast bronze
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1984.
- Condition
- Stable oxidation; recessed deposits retained; relief definition preserved.
