Object 06 / 12
Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià
A royal ivory pendant associated with Ìyọ́bà Idià and the court of Benin, made from materials carrying political and spiritual significance.
- Recorded culture
- Edo peoples
- Place
- Nigeria
- Date
- 16th century
- Materials
- Ivory, iron, copper and brass
What the record supports
The Met relates the work to Oba Esigie and his mother, Idià, and notes that such pendants may have been worn in court rites. The portrait belongs to a specific royal history, not a general mask category.