BENIN
The Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day State of Benin, formerly called Dahomey) has existed in southern Nigeria since c. 1000 AD until today. As a politically autonomous, free, belligerent and wealthy city-state, ruled by an absolute monarch (‘Oba’) and his royal court, it is historically documented in the period from c. 1200 AD until c. 1897, when a ‘punitive expedition’ launched by the English destroyed the flourishing city of Benin. The British forces carried off about 3,000 works of art, such as the world-famous ‘memorial heads’ and relief bronze plates, luxurious ivory carvings and much more. Today, these works are considered to belong to the ‘world’s art treasures’!
The Kingdom of Benin continued to exist even after 1897, and still exists today. However, it is no longer a politically autonomous city-state, but a ‘local authority’ embedded in the modern State of Nigeria. The monarchy of Benin, too, continues according to its traditional form, although no longer as absolute political power, but rather as seriously cared for custom. The ruling Oba Erediauwa (since 1979) still enjoys the respect and trust of ‘his’ people today. All this still ‘lives’ on today, as do also the most important, hierarchically organised guilds of craftsmen, such as bronze founders, wood carvers and ivory sculptors.

IVORY IN BENIN
During the heyday of the Kingdom of Benin, an Oba (king) was not only the recipient of divine worship, but he also enjoyed many material privileges: the world-famous bronze memorial heads were exclusively reserved for the Oba and his mother for their grand ancestor altars.
The use of red coral pearls, which the Portuguese imported from the 15th century onwards, was a privilege granted only to the Oba for his crown, the high collar as well as the coral shirt of his lavish robes, and for his ornaments.
Similarly, the Oba held a kind of monopoly over all of the ivory in Benin: whenever an elephant was killed, a tusk automatically belonged to the Oba. He also had a right of pre-emption in relation to the second tusk, which he normally exercised.
This ivory was used not only for the objects and containers destined to the ancestor altars and the royal palace, but it also provided material from which the belt pendants, bells and arm bracelets of the king’s lavish robes were carved. These large arm cuffs had the practical purpose of protecting the Oba’s valuable red coral shirt against damage when he danced with his heavy, ceremonial sword (‘eben’) during rituals.
From the early 19th century (that is, from Oba Osemwende, c. 1818) onwards, the strict rules were ‘loosened up’: from that moment onwards, high dignitaries and ‘chiefs’ were also allowed to place their own memorial heads on their ancestor altars – but only heads made of wood, decorated with bronze sheet metal. Heads made of terracotta were from then onwards the exclusive privilege of the chief of the bronze founders’ guild. Also high, important dignitaries and ‘chiefs’, who until then were only allowed to wear arm bracelets made of brass, around that time were permitted to use arm cuffs made of ivory.
Since the present ivory bangle can probably be dated to between the 19th and the first third of the 20th century, it may have belonged to either the lavish robes of an Oba (king) or the ceremonial attire of a high dignitary or important ‘chief’.

THE IVORY BANGLE
The present tall arm bracelet displays a plaited pattern finish at the upper and lower ends. The outer side is elaborately and masterfully carved in relief.
The relief displays four images of the Oba (king) of Benin opposite each other: the king wears his coral crown and high coral collar, as well as his ceremonial coral shirt. On the chest are two crossed coral bands consisting of three stripes, surmounted by a necklace with a large agate pearl (‘royal pearl’).
The Oba raises his arms with clenched fists towards the sky. This symbolises his link to the gods’ ‘heavens’. Three to five leopard heads are attached to the king’s belt as pendants (originally carved in ivory). Leopards are regarded as the most powerful animals and are exclusively associated with the Oba. Underneath is an entwined band motif as decoration.
The king’s legs are stylised as two ‘hingemouths’. Hingemouths are an important symbol in the art of Benin: this type of fish can live both in water and on land. For this reason, hingemouths are associated with the great god, Olokun. Olokun is the god of the sea and water, of fertility and prosperity. Through this depiction of the Oba with ‘hingemouth legs’, the king of Benin is directly associated with the powerful sea and water god, Olokun.
The same significance must be attributed to the depiction of crocodiles facing each other on the arm cuff, both between and above two images of a king in relief. Crocodiles are also animals that live both in water and on land, hence they, too, are associated with the sea and water god, Olokun.
Between the king’s ‘hingemouth legs’ is the protruding head of a crocodile with a clenched fist (the symbol of the Oba) turned downwards, towards the edge of the bangle. The ‘fists of the Oba’ pointing upwards and downwards symbolise the king’s power linking the ‘heavens’ of the gods with the secular world of humans. The meaning of the shield-like relief sections between the images of the kings is as yet unknown. They look like nets pulled by two strong arms upwards or downwards, respectively.
The background of the detailed relief images is carved in a fine openwork rectangular grid in the lower two thirds. The upper third, with round holes and crocodile reliefs, consists of such thin, smooth ivory as to appear translucent.
An extraordinary piece of African art, with impressive usage patina on the inside as well as on the outside! With small, age-related damage (tears, old cracks to the shields). A masterpiece by the ivory sculptors of Benin! Between the late 19th century and the first third of the 20th century; H: 14 cm to 15 cm; DM: 9 cm to 9.5 cm. (ME) ASA

Provenance: Austrian private collection.

Lit.: ‘Benin. Könige und Rituale’ (catalogue) by Barbara Plankensteiner, ill. 118–123; ‘Benin’ by B. Plankensteiner, ill. 44.

Additional picture:
Oba Akenzua II, king of Benin, in lavish robes with coral crown, collar and shirt, and with his ivory bangles (arrow) during an official ceremony in 1958.
Photo: William Fagg, “BENIN”, Barbara Plankensteiner