Ivory Mask (Africa)

 

Ivory Mask

This mask is of Idia the first Queen mother of the Benin empire. Her son was that of the King and she is remembered for fighting for his right to succeed his father and take the throne. There was a competition due to the fact the King had another son with another woman. Idia did the most to secure her son’s lineage. This mask would have been worn on the hip as an accessory. It is carved from Ivory, a white and luminescent material very popular in African trade. It is believed when the mask was originally created there might have been inlays of gold or coral. This Ivory mask of an African woman represents complete and total power through commemoration created in an expensive and admired way. 

The ends of Idia's hair is finished with knots that feature tiny costumed Portugese men. The Portugese were significant to African trade. The Portugese brought the Africans brass and the Africans traded pepper, Ivory and animal skins. These knots as part of the Queen represent the solidified trade relationship. Brass brought by the Portugese became very important to the Benin people, as they decorated their palace in it. 

This mask of Idea is special because it is specifically of her it is not an anonymous figure. Before the 21st century African art was not seen the way it was intended to. It was presented in a primitive fashion due to the way it was collected by the British during the colonial period. The African artworks were displayed more as trophies from conquering their culture rather than artworks of their culture. It has taken a much more liberal and open minded group of people to rethink how African art is viewed. 

As you can see this ivory mask of Idea is a true testament to complete power due to the length she took to it to be created in her likeness as well as the value of the material it was created in.

Work Cited

HENI Talks, "Benin ivory mask (Edo peoples)," in Smarthistory, June 17, 2018, accessed February 27, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/ivory-mask-benin/.