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Ile-Ife and Benin Sculpture

The Yoruba and Benin cultures produced sculptures most notably in bronze and ivory in modern Nigeria from the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries.

Learning Objective

  • Describe the characteristics of Ile-Ife and Benin sculpture.


Key Points

    • Ife is the home to the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria. The city was established near the ninth century CE, and reached its peak of artistic between 1200 and 1400 CE.
    • Ife is most well known for its bronze sculptures. Ife's sculptures are more typically done in a naturalistic style. Stone and terra cotta artwork was also common, and leaders were often depicted with large heads to indicate their power.
    • The Benin Empire, which ruled Nigeria from the eleventh to the late nineteenth century, produced sculptures in a wide variety of media for political, social, and religious purposes.
    • In the fifteenth century, contact with Portuguese traders and colonists resulted in the incorporation of European styles into Benin art.

Terms

  • terra cotta

    A hard red-brown unglazed earthenware, used for pottery and building construction.

  • deities

    Divine beings; gods or goddesses.


Full Text

Yoruba

Ife is the home to the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria, located in the present day Osun State. The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, constituting close to forty million people found predominantly in Nigeria. Evidence of habitation at the site has been discovered to date back to as early as 600 BCE. Some evidence suggests the Nok culture (1000 BCE–500 CE) eventually evolved into the Yoruba people of Ife.

The meaning of the word "ife" in Yoruba is "expansion." According to Yoruba faith, the city of Ife is where all of humanity originated: Oduduwa created the world where Ife would be built, and his brother Obatala created the first humans out of clay. The city was a settlement of substantial size between the ninth and twelfth centuries CE. Production of Yoruba artwork reached its peak between 1200 and 1400 CE, after which it declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin.

Artwork of Ife

Ife is best known for its naturalistic bronze sculptures. Hollow-cast bronze art created by the Yoruba culture provides an example of realism in precolonial African art. Important people were often depicted with large heads, as the Yoruba believed that the Ase, or inner power and energy of a person, resided in the head. Their rulers were often depicted with their mouths covered so that the power of their speech would not be too great .

Ife Bronze Sculpture

Sculpture of a king's head, held in the British Museum.

Stone and terra cotta artwork were also common in Ife. More elaborate festivals organized to worship deities were also common. These festivals would often extend over several days and involve theatrical dramatizations in the palace and kingdom.

In his book "The Oral Traditions in Ile-Ife," Yemi D. Prince referred to the terra cotta artists of 900 CE as the founders of art guilds, cultural schools of philosophy, which can be likened to many of Europe's old institutions of learning. These guilds may be some of the oldest non-Abrahamic African centers of learning to remain in the contemporary world.

Benin

The Benin Empire was a precolonial African kingdom that ruled Nigeria from the eleventh century to 1897. Not to be confused with the present-day country of Benin, this empire dissolved into what is today the Edo State of Nigeria, marked by the capital, Benin City. At its height, the empire developed an advanced artistic culture and produced beautiful artifacts of bronze, iron and ivory.

Art of Benin

The Benin Empire was known for its many works of art, including religious objects, ceremonial weapons, masks, animal heads, figurines, busts and plaques. Typically made from bronze, brass, clay, ivory, terra cotta or wood, most art was produced at the court of the Oba (king) and was used to illustrate achievements of the empire or to narrate mythical stories. Iconic imagery depicted religious, social, and cultural issues that were central to their beliefs, and many bronze plaques featured representations of the Oba.

Various works promoted theological and religious piety, while others narrated past events and achievements (actual or mythical). During the reign of the Kingdom of Benin, the characteristics of the artwork shifted from thin castings and careful treatment to thick, less defined castings and generalized features.

Sculpture of the Benin Kingdom

This sculpture, one of the many examples of Benin Bronzes held in museums around the world, depicts the generalized figures that frequently appear in Benin art. 16th-18th century. Nigeria.

One of the most common artifacts today is the ivory mask based on Queen Idia, the mother of Oba Esigie who ruled from 1504-1550. Now commonly known as the Festac mask, it was used in 1977 as the logo of the Nigeria-hosted Second Festival of Black & African Arts and Culture.

Pendant ivory mask of Queen Idia

Iyoba ne Esigie (meaning: Queen mother of Oba Esigie), court of Benin, 16th century.

Another object unique to Benin art is the Ikegobo ("altars to the hand"), a cylindrical votive object. Used as a cultural marker of an individual's accomplishments, Ikegobo were dedicated to the hand, from which the Beninese considered all will for wealth and success to originate. These commemorative objects were made of brass, wood, terra cotta, or clay depending on the patron's hierarchical ranking.

Portuguese Influence

The peak of the Benin art occurred in the fifteenth century, with the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries and traders. By that point, Benin was already highly militarized and economically developed. However, the arrival of the Portuguese catalyzed a process of even greater political and artistic development.

Because of Benin's military strength, Portuguese missionaries were unable to enslave its people upon their arrival in the fifteenth century. Instead, a trade network was established in which the Benin Empire traded beautiful works of art for luxury items from Portugal, such as beads, cloth, and brass manillas for casting. The wealth of Benin's art was credited with preventing the Benin Empire from becoming economically dependent on the Portuguese.

As trade flourished, Benin art began to depict European influence through technique, imagery, and themes. Bronze work reached its height during this era, and today the Benin Bronzes are regarded as some of the finest works of that time. These depict a variety of scenes including animals, scenes of court life, Portuguese sailors, and relationships between the Benin Empire and the Portuguese.  

Benin plaque

The background portrays the floral pattern that is characteristic of plaques made at this time and is reflective of Portuguese influence. The image in the plaque consists of an Oba (king) surrounded by his subjects. Apart from military and political strength, the plaque illustrates the relationship between the Portuguese and the Benin traders. 16th century.

In 1897, the British led the Punitive Expedition in which they ransacked the Benin kingdom and destroyed or confiscated much of their artwork. Over three thousand brass plaques were seized and are now held in museums around the world. Known as the Benin Bronzes, they depict a variety of subjects including animals, fish, humans, and scenes of courtly life. They were cast in matching pairs (although each was individually made), and it is thought that they were originally nailed to walls and pillars in the palace as decoration.

In 1936, Oba Akenzua II began a movement to return the art to its place of origin. Nigeria bought approximately 50 bronzes from the British Museum between the 1950s and 1970s and has repeatedly called for the return of the remainder.

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