Okpia is the Edo word for ‘male’. All figures which can be identified as male have been grouped here. The regalia and dress vary, and more research may enable the identification of the specific identities of these figures.

Men are much more commonly depicted in the arts of the Benin royal court than women. Such sculptures are cast in brass or are carved from ivory and wood.

Okpia

Okpia is the word for 'male' in Edo. All figures which can be identified as being male have been grouped here. The regalia and dress varies and more research may enable the identification of more specific identities of these figures.

Men are much more commonly depicted in Benin royal court arts than women. Such sculptures are cast in brass or are carved from ivory and wood.

Male Figure

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Website

Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust

Internal Data (eng)

Grey, Charles George & Lady

Collector

Donor

Suggestion: The word juju in itself is not harmful in as much as it refers to the belief system. It can be used in a harmful or derogatory way and is context dependent. Please assess the context of this word as a user of the platform.

 more about the background of this statement here.

juju 

Suggestion: Replace with, “a person of short stature,” “little person” or "someone with dwarfism". (See 

Read more about the background of this statement here.

dwarf

Suggestion: Replace with First Nations, First people, or particular community name. (See 

aboriginal

Suggestion: Replace with the name of the particular community and delete where it is used to reference an already identified group, e.g Igbo ~~tribe.~~

tribe

This word was redacted from the catalogue as a derogatory racialised word.

DB_redacted_word

Suggestion: Be as specific as possible in terms of country, population etc. (See 

non-western

western-art

western museum

tribal

hofzwerg

For more information on this term and its violent and inherently harmful context to indigenous communities, see 

British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897

expedition

exotic

negro

Suggestion: Replace with the word Africa.

Black Africa

Warning: This word is used in a historic context of a title for a book, exhibition, institution name or book description etc. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities.

Read more about the background of this statement here

primitive

Suggestion: Replace with traditional healer, spiritual healer, or specific name that particular communities use to define this role. (See 

medicine man

Suggestion: Replace in cases where it used to describe human beings, with the term indigenous communities, first people or particular community name.

Digital Benin linked field	Institution field	Value
object id	Acc/ID Number	WA503011
designation	Object Name	Figure; English Chief Justice
description	Description	Representation of English chief justice. Seated figure on lattice work chair. Base.
description	Description/Acquisition Overview	39 Ethnographic specimens from Nigeria (see PDF 'R4689_Acc Register List') for all objects. Accession register images; dmas_rgregb_1948_d04.tif and dmas_rgregb_1948_d11.tif and dmas_rgregb_1948_d12.tif.
material	Materials	metal brass
dimensions	Measurements	whole: 203 mm
object type	Record Type	Core
date made	Date Created	Pre 1948
production place	Place Created	Benin; Nigeria; West Africa
prior source	Credit Line	Donated to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery by Lady Grey in June 1948
prior source	Donor	Lady Grey, Wife of Sir Charles Grey. Address in Register (1935) Rodstone, Friars Oak, Hassocks
provenance	Collector	Lady Grey; Sir Charles Grey
provenance	Object (hi)story
date collected	Date Collected	Pre 1948
place collected	Place Collected	Nigeria, West Africa, Africa
ethnic attribution	Cultural Grp	Edo; Bini
department and institution	Department	World Art
accession date	Acquistion date	6/4/48
notes	New research info 2022	Charles Grey additional info: birth 26/06/1880, death 12/12/1957. 4th Baronet of Fallodon. Son of Harry George Grey and Charlotte Cockburn Grey. Left no heir so this brother Sir Harry Martin Grey, became 5th Baronet, of Fallodon. Medic in West Africa.
exhibition history	Ext Exhib History
legal status	Legal Status	PERMANENT COLLECTION
	Creator	Unrecorded
	Documentation Issues	YORUBA STYLE WORK ACCORDING TO W. FAGG. MODELLED FROM AN ILLUSTRATION BY A BENIN MAKER.
	History file contents
	Loan Allowed?
	Other no.	R4689/7

Ẹyo Otọ

Catalogue

Institutions

Provenance

Map

Oral History

Itan Edo

Archival Documents

Archival Institutions

Digital research tools

About the project