Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century · Nigeria, Benin, Edo · ID: 3045145
Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
Christie’s, London, 13 June 1978, lot 121
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.
The object Statue of a cockerel, late 19th century with the object ID 3045145 was part of the auction 91 Tribal Art Auction on March 9, 2019. The object with the lot number 204 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,600 with an asking price of EUR 1,500.
Here you will find more objects and interesting facts about African art.
Comparing literature
Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 398 f.
Publications
AHDRC: 0088114