Ikpin (snake figures) featured on the roof of Ọba Palace. In the Kingdom of Benin, the crocodile and the boa constrictor are considered the guardians of Olokun, the god of the great waters or the ocean, of wealth, prosperity and fertility. When the palace was burnt down during the 1897 British expedition, the Ikpin were stolen, and they do not feature on the roof of the current palace.

A number of large cast snake heads and a single body segment are held in institutional collections. These snakes would have adorned the roof of Ọba Palace in Benin City, and did so until 1897, as photographs taken during the expedition attest. There is no consensus on the kind of snake represented, but it may be a python (Ben-Amos, 1976

) or a viper of some kind (for overview of the discussion, see Plankensteiner 2010, p.25

). During research for Digital Benin, the snakes were identified as boa constrictors.

Art historians have identified two different stylistic groups of snakes. The first features a smooth surface, recessed almond-shaped eyes, and motifs of circles with smaller inner circles that adorn the face. The second type has a scaly surface, decorated with either stylised plant or snake motifs, and convex almond-shaped eyes. According to Plankensteiner (2010, p.25

), the first, less ornate type is older, possibly from the seventeenth century, while the more ornate snakes are possibly from the eighteenth century.

Ikpin

The roofs of the palace buildings in Benin City are believed to have been adorned with ornamental figures depicting humans and the ‘bird of prophecy’. Objects within the corpus of Benin art, such as cast brass boxes, depict these palace buildings and offer an important insight into the historical architecture of the palace. European accounts which include descriptions and even drawings of the city, such as Olfert Dapper’s well-known panorama, also attest to the dramatic and imposing nature of the palace. Barbara Blackmun (in Plankensteiner 2007, p.287

) has argued that the warped nature of the figures was a result of their forcible removal from the roofs in the mid-1600s at a time of political upheaval for the kings, when their power and authority was diminished.

Roof Figure

A number of large cast snake heads and a single body segment are held in museum collections. These snakes would have adorned the roof of Ọba Palace in Benin City, and did so until 1897, as photographs taken during the expedition attest. There is no consensus on the kind of snake represented, but it may be a python (Ben-Amos, 1976

Snake Figure

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The British Museum’s archives are held in various locations across the institution. The items listed here aim to give an overview of the main locations where relevant archival and photographic material relating to objects from the Kingdom of Benin is housed. Key areas relevant for cultural objects from the Kingdom of Benin are: Corporate Archives; Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas archives; Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory archives; and the Anthropology Library and Research Centre.

Website

Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas 

Online Catalogue

Library & Archive

British Museum

Internal Data (eng)

Ohly, Kate

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juju 

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non-western

western-art

western museum

tribal

hofzwerg

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British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897

expedition

exotic

negro

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Black Africa

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primitive

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