Wilhelm Anton (von) Riedemann was a North German merchant and pioneer in the field of tanker shipping. As a freight haulier, Riedemann was active in the oil business and operated a shipping company. Riedemann was one of the co-founders of the Hamburg-based German-American Petroleum Company (DAPG), which became known as “Esso” in 1950. In 1902, he donated an altar figure of a rooster from the Kingdom of Benin to the MARKK.
Altarfigur eines Hahns Okpa
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 17./18. Jh. / Gelbguss / Schenkung Wilhelm Anton Riedemann, 1902, Inv. Nr. C 3347
In Benin wird die ranghöchste Frau des Oba als „der Hahn, der am lautesten kräht“ bezeichnet. Ihr Titel Eson n'Erie und ihre Funktion findet sich auch in den Mehrfrauen-Haushalten hochrangiger Würdenträger.
Sie ist immer die älteste unter den Frauen eines Mannes. Der Vergleich mit dem Hahn unterstreicht ihre Führungsposition. Hahnenfiguren sollen auf den Ahnenaltären der Iyoba, der Königinmutter, gestanden haben.
Label Text (eng)
Altar Figure: Rooster Okpa
Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 17th/18th century / Brass / Donated by Wilhelm Anton Riedemann, 1902, Inv. no. C 3347
In Benin, the highest-ranking wife of the Oba is called “the rooster that crows the loudest.” Her title, Eson n’Erie, and her function are also found in the multiple-wife households of
high-ranking dignitaries. She is always the oldest among a
man’s wives. The comparison with the rooster underlines her position of leadership. Figures of roosters are said to have stood on the ancestral altars of Iyoba, the queen mother.