Altar head "uhunmwun-elao" of a dignitary
German Private Collection, Munich
Description
wood, sheet brass and nails, recess on the back
The forehead, side hair ornaments, plume, collar and base are clad with riveted sheet brass. A sheet copper inlay on the forehead and nose, as well as wooden inlays formerly set off in black above the forehead, mark tattoos.
There are different interpretations of the Benin altar heads. They are regarded as memorial heads of important ancestors or as trophies of particularly dangerous, slain enemies of the “oba”. Altar heads in stylistically similar forms made of wood, clay, brass or ivory are known. The different use of materials expresses a difficult social and political value. The use of clay or wood for ritual artefacts was also permitted to the village and simple urban population of the Benin Empire, while brass and ivory were reserved for the “oba” himself.
This head, made from a heavy, solid block of wood, represents a transitional form. It is clad in large sections with sheet brass, creating a similarity to the altar heads of the royal ancestors. Its size, weight and elaborate design suggest that it was made with the “oba’s” permission for a high-ranking title holder or a particularly loyal leader. In addition to its significance as a communicative link to the family ancestors, it was ultimately intended to demonstrate prestige, but above all authority and power - symbolized by the feather and coral collar attached to the head.
The heads are placed on altars inside the house. “The memorial head stands for an honourable lifestyle, a blameless life, prosperity and all good things. It is the perfect representation of every honourable chief” (according to Plankensteiner, p. 154). As on all ancestral altars, there are also “ukhurhe”, rattle sticks, on those of the dignitaries.
Comparing literature
Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 153 f.Publications
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Afrikanische Kunst in Deutschen Privatsammlungen, München 1973, p. 200, ill. 277AHDRC: 0088429