When I lay my eyes on a Benin bronze, I must admire the skill of combining technology and artistic inspiration – their inseparable fusion. And within me grows a feeling of immense pride…
Wole Soyinka, Nigerian poet and writer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.
The art of the Kingdom of Benin first intrigued Europe in 1897 when members of a British punitive expedition looted and destroyed the ancient city of Benin. As war booty, they took a number of objects that adorned the king’s palace, including a large number of metal plates with artistic reliefs and various sculptures.
These artistic objects caused a sensation in Europe under the name Benin bronzes, although they were mostly made of brass. Based on the assumption that these “primitive and savage” people could not have created such beautiful and technologically sophisticated objects themselves, numerous theories about their origin were put forward. In the end, however, it was concluded that they were of completely indigenous cultural production. ri. Created using the “lost wax” casting technique, these casts are now considered the most beautiful works of their kind in the world.
THE KINGDOM OF BENIN
The Kingdom of Benin was located in the southwestern part of present-day Nigeria, in the coastal valley along the Niger River. Despite unfavorable conditions for agricultural and trade development, the unification of numerous smaller tribes and chieftains during the 13th and 14th centuries elevated it to a powerful warrior kingdom, one of the most powerful states in the western Africa at the time.
The Benin people were highly monarchistic. The basis of their political, religious, and social life was the so-called divine kingdom. The king ruled based on his lineage from the legendary founder of the dynasty, and his power was manifold and unchallenged.
In the history of the Kingdom of Benin, the most significant period is associated with the 15th and 16th centuries. This so-called Period of Warrior Kings is marked by wars and victories, significant conquests, govern But also with the great flourishing of art.
The Royal Palace occupied a central place in the city of Benin. Within its walls, members of numerous artisan guilds lived, carrying the honorary title of “the king’s vassals”. Many of these artisans produced art objects from various materials. Bronze and brass casters were certainly among the most respected. Their main task was to celebrate the divine king, Obu, and glorify his deeds.
The first Europeans to explore the Kingdom of Benin were the Portuguese. They established good trade cooperation with the Beninese, without interfering in their internal politics. It was they who called it Benin, while the natives called their country and the capital Edo.
When the British took over the primacy in trade with West Africa, a strong kingdom like Benin posed an obstacle to their plans. The Beninese stopped the British diplomats from advancing towards the interior of the continent, causing The revenge of the English has finally come.
HISTORY ON BRONZE PLATES
Although they did not have their own writing system, we know a lot about them through the reliefs on the metal plates. Namely, the wooden supports of the palace were completely covered from top to bottom with rectangular bronze plates. They depicted war campaigns, battles, ceremonies, and other events at the court in a specific order. Some portrayed the king or dignitaries in ceremonial attire, while others featured popular proverbs.
In addition to their artistic value, these plates are a precious historical source of information about the social relationships and rituals of that time. The reliefs are arranged in a way that maximizes the contrast of light on the metal. The hard-to-reach reddish color and shiny surface of bronze are suitable symbols of monarchy.
Most of the plates have a four-leaf clover as a background, and occasionally a cross inscribed in a circle. Both of these motifs are believed to have cosmological significance. The number four symbolizes the four cardinal directions, Four days a week and the cycle of the day: morning, afternoon, evening, and night. In the corners of the slabs, there are often drawings of crocodiles, fish, and rosettes, associated with the god Olokum and his daily descent into the sea. Olokum, the ruler of the sea and all waters, as well as the bringer of earthly wealth, was a beloved Benin deity.
Portraits of kings were mostly idealized, avoiding individual characteristics. The institution of monarchy was, in fact, much more important than any individual king. In depictions of ceremonies, individuals can be seen wearing richly strung corals around their necks, symbolizing nobility and monarchy. They were worn by kings and those who received special permission from them.
A common motif on slabs or in the form of small sculptures was the leopard. The danger and speed of the leopard represented a powerful metaphor for the king’s power. During the coronation ceremony, the king ritually sacrificed a leopard, proving that he was the king of an organized land, above the leopard as the king of the wilderness.
In the motif of royal negirana i zamijenjena modernim umjetničkim stilovima. Mnoge od tih skulptura su uklonjene iz palače i prodane kolekcionarima i muzejima diljem svijeta. Tako je izgubljen i dio bogate kulture i povijesti kraljevstva Benin. However, when the heir of the exiled king returned after World War II and began the reconstruction of the Royal Palace and revitalization of the guilds, it was revealed that the creative impulse had not disappeared… Several contemporary Nigerian artists from the Edo province soon gained worldwide fame.