Head of an Iyoba Sculpture

This beautiful reproduction celebrates a magnificent commemorative head of an iyoba in the Met's collection. The original cast-brass head was created in the 18th–19th century in the Benin kingdom, where the iyoba, or mother of the oba(king), occupies a significant place within Benin's political hierarchy. The title was first conferred upon Idia, the mother of king Esigie, who used her political skill and supernatural abilities to save her son's kingdom from dissolution in the late 15th century. Ever since, queen mothers have been considered powerful protectors of their sons and the kingdom itself. Ancestral altars dedicated to past iyobas are furnished with commemorative heads such as this one. Its high collar and pierced crown place it among later examples, yet the sensitive modeling of the face is reminiscent of the earliest known heads.