Queen Idia Mask, Wooden Replica (Benin)
Queen Idia mask
Attribution rests on documented field collection or recorded observation of the object in use. No collection history is established for this object. Nothing here should be read as evidence of lawful acquisition or export.
About the Queen Idia mask
The original Queen Idia mask is an ivory hip pendant from the Benin Kingdom, commissioned by Oba Esigie in the sixteenth century to honour his mother, Idia. It is not merely a beautiful object. It is a statement about lineage, about political power, and about the gratitude owed to the women who raise great rulers. The milky white ivory announced royal status before a single symbol was added.
The face became world famous as the emblem of FESTAC 77, and carvers have reproduced it ever since. This is a wooden replica, and it shows how a royal image from ancient Benin still lives on in the hands of today’s artists.
From my book
I photographed this mask during my field work and it appears in my book Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks. You can read five chapters of the book free here, or get the full book in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.
Record
| People / culture | Bini |
|---|---|
| Country | Nigeria |
| Region | Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria |
| Common name | Queen Idia mask |
| Subject depicted | Ancestor or named individual |
Ceremony and context
Royal commemoration
Provenance
| Collection | Field photograph by Michael Ukwuma |
|---|
Source
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.