Figure of a Hornblower (Ikpakohẹn)
Edo
1 of 13
Object Label
This figure probably stood on an altar dedicated to a deceased king, or oba. His conical hat and elaborately wrapped kilt with a projection on the left side all indicate that he is a court official. The necklace of leopard’s teeth was worn only by warriors. The horn this figure once held is believed to have been a type called an erere, blown during ceremonial sacrifices. A motif on the figure’s kilt depicting an elephant, whose trunk ends in a human right hand, identifies this work with the reign of the oba Esigie, thought to have ruled from 1504 to 1550.
Caption
Edo. Figure of a Hornblower (Ikpakohẹn), ca. 1504–50. Copper alloy, iron, 24 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 6 in. (62.2 x 21.6 x 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 55.87. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Figure of a Hornblower (Ikpakohẹn)
Date
ca. 1504–50
Geography
Place made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Medium
Copper alloy, iron
Classification
Dimensions
24 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 6 in. (62.2 x 21.6 x 15.2 cm)
Inscriptions
"16" written in black on back of figure
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
Accession Number
55.87
Frequent Art Questions
What does the skirt pattern represent?
The pattern on the skirt is a reference a specific to a specific king's reign. You may have read this on the label, but "A motif on the figure's kilt depicting an elephant, whose trunk ends in a human right hand, identifies this work with the reign of the oba Esigie, who ruled from 1504 to 1550."The pattern on the skirt is a reference to a specific king's reign. The skirt has a pattern of human faces, leopard faces, arms, half-moons, and leaf forms. Leopards are often symbols of powerful individuals like the king memorialized by this work. You may have read this on the label, but "A motif on the figure's kilt depicting an elephant, whose trunk ends in a human right hand, identifies this work with the reign of the oba Esigie, who ruled from 1504 to 1550."
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