BENIN ART

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Benin’s interest in art and craftmanship is believed to have started during the earliest period in the history of the kingdom when it was still known as Igodomigodo and ruled by mythical kings called Ogiso. Benin traditions speak of the establishment of the earliest guilds of craftmen during the reign of Ogiso Ere, the second king in this earlier line of kings who founded and ruled Benin.  

Ogiso Ere is reputed to have created the guilds of carpenters (Owina), wood scuptors (Igbesamwan) and, weavers (Owina N’ido). The royal throne (Ekete), the rectangular chief’s stool (Agba), the round leather fan (Ezuzu), and the leather portmanteau or round box (Ekpokin) are all products of this era.   Also developed during this period are wooden staff (Ukhure) which were placed on ancestral shines, the two swords of the state (Ada and Eben), beaded anklets (Eguen), and collars (Odigba). 

The use of domestic utensils such as wooden plates, bowls, mortals and pestles can also be traced to this period and they were produced by the Owina and the Igbesamwan guilds.  

Royal Patronage and Control of Benin Art

Over the centuries the guilds of skilled craftsmen became very important to the state and they created the ceremonial heads and plaques that honoured the past divine kings and members of the royal family especially queen mothers (Iyoba). The craftsmen were also commissioned by the Oba to stand in observation to capture for posterity any ceremony, ritual or commemorative event that was held in the palace, much like the royal photographers of today. 

This state patronage and control led to the development of deeply creative and intrinsic processes of producing great work of art that were improved and perfected over the ages until it became a technique unique to the art of Benin. Among the artistic techniques cultivated and perfected is the lost-wax method of casting metal. 

The Lost Wax Method

The lost wax method involved first making a wax model of a sculpture, then creating a clay mould around it and melting the wax inside. Molten metal was then poured into the clay mould, filling the space left by the melted wax. While this multi-stage process had also been used in neighbouring Igboland and Yorubaland, the Benin craftsmen perfected it and went on to produce outstandingly intriguing works that have captured scholarly, ethnographic and sociological attention till this day.  

An existing supply chain of producers and trained artisans including smelters, sculptors and blacksmiths were patronised by the king and mobilised to meet the kingdom’s increasing demand for the production of such crafts. A combination of these trained artisans and the royal guilds of wood workers, leather workers, weavers and potters unleashed the large-scale production of art for the royal court amongst which are the now world-famous Benin Bronzes. 

Resources for Benin Art 

The increased demand for Benin artworks was spurned not just by the development of skilled craftsmen but also by access to the raw materials required for the work including wood, clay and wax, which were gathered locally, traded with neighbours or paid in taxes. As the home of the king and host to the palace, Benin had the resources to pay for the supplies and labour that made both monumental architecture and fine artistry possible. 

The resources included large elephant tusks over which the Oba had monopoly in trading and a supply of metals by European traders. When an elephant was killed, one tusk always goes to the Oba. Trade with Europeans, beginning with the Portuguese in 1472, provided Benin kings with access to new metals and weapons that helped them defend the kingdom and its tributary vassals. The European traders introduced the Manilla, a bracelet-shaped brass or copper ingot which were bought from the Portuguese by the Oba.

The Manila was melted and used for creating bronze figures and plaques to commemorate the visits of the Portuguese who supplied the metal and to memorialise past kings and the events that occurred during their reign. The result of this is what some historians have described as the Golden Age of Benin Art which is believed to have reached its peak in the 16th century. 

The Benin Bronzes

By the time Benin fell under the power of the British Empire in 1897, there were thousands of artworks in bronze and ivory adorning the walls and shrines in the palace of the Oba of Benin as well as the houses of titled chiefs. These treasures were looted by British soldiers before setting the city on fire in February 1897. The looted artefacts were sold by the soldiers on thier return and found their way into private hands while many were later acquired by national musuems of major European nations. Today they are collectively known as the Benin Bronzes.