Lot 153
Nigeria, Benin Empire, 18th to 19th century CE. This is a bronze rooster, posed in a walking stance, with small body and long legs; the head is cocked with large beak and erect crest. The bird may be interpreted as a juvenile because of its small tail, or that may just be an artistic choice, but either way, it presents a curious, charming figure. Incised designs provide dense layers of feathers over the entirety of its body. Roosters, cast from bronze, were a common theme in Benin art, but this is a very nice example, that comes from the town of Udo, a powerful city in historical Benin. Benin is one of the great kingdoms of West Africa, an empire created in a rain forest that spanned over a millennium. Artwork like this one reflects their great artistic tradition. In Benin cosmology, every being is assigned to a specific domain, some geographical, some temporal, and some existential. Roosters like him would have marked the altar for a deceased queen mother, an Iyoba. This tradition seems to date to the early 16th century; the rooster is a gender-specific symbol of the power of the queen. This may relate to the sacrificial value of the rooster, but also to the idea that the head wife of the harem is like a rooster - bold and in charge, keeping the other wives in line. Size: 5.75" L x 2.9" W x 7.7" H (14.6 cm x 7.4 cm x 19.6 cm)
Provenance: Ex - Carol Harell collection acquired Davis Gallery, New Orleans in 1990.
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#115603
- Condition: Really fine condition - almost perfectly intact, aside from two broken claws on one foot and stable crack to one leg. Fine dark patina.
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