Analysis of “Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba” (1978.412.323)
The object that I chose from the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is entitled the “Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba.” This pendant was created in the sixteenth century in Benin, what is modern day Nigeria. Benin was one of the most powerful kingdoms of western Africa from the thirteenth century into the nineteenth century. The great city-state arose one hundred and fifty miles to the southeast of the ancient city of Ife. Benin gained power by conquering their neighboring civilizations in order to control trade with Europe. The fourth king of Benin was known as the oba, and was considered the political, spiritual, and cultural leader of the people of the kingdom.
The “Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba” depicts a sensitive, idealized portrait with soft features and scarification marks which indicate her gender as a woman. Historians found that this object is more than just a portrait, but is a significant amulet commissioned by the powerful oba, Esigie, who ruled throughout the first half of the sixteenth century. Esigie commissioned this piece in honor of the Queen Mother, Idia. Idia was the senior member of the royal court in Benin and played an important role in helping Esigie extend his kingdom.
The object was carved to be worn at the oba’s hip as a belt ornament. The hollowed back and holes around the perimeter of the object support this finding.The face is made to have perfect ideals, to capture the virtues of the Idia rather than just her physical appearance. Her calm composure signifies her wisdom and role as advisor of the oba. Iron is inlaid in the pupils of the face which amplifies her inner strength and powerful gaze. The figure is shown wearing coral beads around her neck, as well as her hair being shaped to resemble a tiara. Her neck is adorned with stylized mudfish and faces of the Portuguese. The mudfish represent the king’s divinity which the Portuguese brought wealth and power to the king. The Portuguese also symbolize the kingdom of Benin’s alliance with and even control over certain areas of Europe.
While there are details in iron and copper in “Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba,” ivory remains the primary medium in this pendant. Ivory was the cause of many of the oldest trading networks known to history. In Benin, ivory has both symbolic and material significance. Ivory came to be Benin’s principle commercial resource and brought much of the kingdom’s wealth and prosperity during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Ivory helped attract a multitude of Portuguese traders to Benin which further added to their economic success. In Benin specifically, ivory is related to the color white and its symbolic meaning of ritual purity related to the god of the sea, Olokun.
The people of Benin and in other parts of Africa did not produce ritual or political objects as works of art, but instead as expressions of cultural values and religion. Traditionally, images of women are quite rare in Benin culture and history. This piece, “Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba,” has come to be recognized as a symbol of the legacy of a dynasty that still continues to this day. The descendants of Benin’s ancient dynasty still occupy the throne in Benin, in what is modern day Nigeria. Today, pendants like this are still worn in traditional ceremonies in regards to spiritual renewal and purification.
