Altar tusk of a royal ancestral altar "aru erha" ·  Nigeria, Benin · ID: 3033236

Description

ivory, natural grains, carved in flat relief with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs and plaited ornaments, arranged in horizontal rows, distributed on the entire surface, min. dam., fissures through age, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on base;
the altar tusks are carved with figures of kings, queen mothers, warriors, priests, palace officials, foreigners, and other motifs that “serve as historical reminders, reassert the legitimate authority and divinity of the king, and reveal the numinous sources from which his powers derive.” The tusks symbolize attributes of the elephant, such as physical power, leadership, wisdom and longevity, all of which are appropriate for the Oba. Because of their hardness, the tusks are considered to be a suitably permanent material on which to carve motifs meant to enlighten future generations. Ivory’s colour is also important, its whiteness being reminiscent of the color of chalk “orhue”, a symbol of ritual purity that is associated with “olokun”, the “edo” god of the sea. The altar tusks were washed and bleached with citrus juice to remove the remains of sacrifices and to keep them as white as possible.

Comparing literature

Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 131 & ill. 2 Ezra, Kate, Royal Art of Benin, New York 1992, p. 51 f.