Zemanek-Münster
Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century
Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century 2/6 Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century 3/6 Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century 4/6 Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century 5/6 Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century 6/6
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Lot 204
91 Tribal Art Auction

Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century

Nigeria, Benin, Edo
sold EUR 3,600
Provenance
Josef Mueller (1887-1977), Solothurn, Switzerland
Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
Christie’s, London, 13 June 1978, lot 121
Size
H: 13,5 cm
H: 5.3 inch

Description

bronze, original wood stand by Kichizô Inagaki, with signature

The cock is a recurrent topic of courtly art in Benin and has been adorning for centuries the ancestral altars, both of the “oba” of Benin, as well as of his mother, the “iyoba”.

Remarkably, in Benin, the senior woman of the “oba” is referred to as “the cock who crows the loudest” (“eson”). The comparison with a cock describes her role as a leader. The “eson” can give orders to other women, settle disputes and preserve peace.

Comparing literature

Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 398 f.

Publications

AHDRC: 0088114

Africa

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