Cleveland Museum of ArtThe data was downloaded via a public data access of the institution.
Last Updated: 2021-02-13
Language: english
Plaque, 1500s-1600s. Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild. Copper alloy; overall: 49.4 x 30.6 cm (19 7/16 x 12 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1953.425
wall_descriptiondescription Craftsmen modeled brass plaques like this in wax before casting them with hot metal. Molds pushed out figures’ general shapes, then details—such as this warrior’s staff and court sword (<em>ẹbẹn</em>)—were added by hand. Reflecting Benin’s global connections, the incised flowers may have Islamic or European origins. Called <em>ebe-amẹn</em> (river leaves) they are identified with Olókun, god of the waters. The interlaced side motifs may connect several early plaques also linked by topic and style. The palace plaques were in storage before the 1897 Siege of Benin. Recently, an art historian virtually reconstructed their former display in the palace based on their dimensions and imagery.
Overall: 49.4 x 30.6 cm (19 7/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
provenance/0/descriptionprovenance Commissioned from the Igun Eronmwon
provenance/1/descriptionprovenance by descent to Ọba Ovọnramwẹn (Ovọnramwẹn Nogbaisi, [c. 1857–1914, r. 1888–97], Royal Palace, Benin City, until the Siege of Benin (1897)
provenance/2/descriptionprovenance possibly Sir Admiral Rawson
provenance/3/descriptionprovenance (John Wise Ltd., New York City, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
provenance/4/descriptionprovenance The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild
citations/0/citationbibliography Brooklyn Museum. <em>Masterpieces of African Art. Exhibition Dates: October 21, 1954-January 2, 1955.</em> [Brooklyn]: Brooklyn Museum, 1954.
citations/0/page_numberbibliography Mentioned: p. 41; Reproduced: no. 58
citations/1/citationbibliography The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
citations/1/page_numberbibliography Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 384
citations/1/urlbibliography https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n72
citations/2/citationbibliography The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
citations/2/urlbibliography https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n326
citations/3/citationbibliography The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
citations/3/urlbibliography https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n326
citations/4/citationbibliography Wixom, WIlliam D. "African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art." <em>African Arts</em>. 10, no. 3. (April 1977) 16-25.
citations/4/page_numberbibliography Mentioned: p. 19; Reproduced: p. 25, fig 13.
citations/5/citationbibliography The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
citations/5/urlbibliography https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n431
citations/6/citationbibliography Gunsch, Kathryn Wysocki. <em>The Benin Plaques: A 16th Century Imperial Monument.</em> London : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018.
citations/6/page_numberbibliography Mentioned: p. 99; Reproduced: p. 100, fig. 5.37
images/full/filenameimages 1953.425_full.tif
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1953.425/1953.425_full.tif
images/print/filenameimages 1953.425_print.jpg
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1953.425/1953.425_print.jpg
images/web/filenameimages 1953.425_web.jpg
https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1953.425/1953.425_web.jpg
https://clevelandart.org/art/1953.425
former_accession_numbers/0 former_accession_numbers/1 2020-11-04 20:37:10.972000