Object Image

Pendant

Cast copper alloy D-form center loop pendant with three figures of equal size. The center figure is of a king (oba) supported by attendants. There is a repair to the lower proper right and the overall surface shows wear, especially the arms and tops of the headgear. There is an incised eben, a fan shaped ceremonial sword, on the reverse between the center and proper left (reverse) figures.

Pendants, worn on the hips, display a variety of human and animal images. In Benin art, as well as in contemporary court ceremonies, an oba is frequently seen flanked and supported by two attendants.

Credit: Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 1979...

Mid-16th to mid-17th century
Copper alloy
17.5 x 14.9 x 5.4 cm
85-19-17
Image and text © National Museum of African Art, 2020

Where you'll find this

National Museum of African Art
Permanent collection