Brass roosters are placed on ancestral altars commemorating the queen mothers of Benin. They stand for fowl and other animals that are sacrificed during rituals honoring royal ancestors. These explicitly male creatures acknowledge that the queen mother is different from other women and shares many powers and privileges with men. In depicting these birds, Benin brass casters indulge their love of dense overall patterns. Although stylized, these incised designs deftly suggest the rooster's showy plumage, scaly legs, and dimpled comb.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Rooster
Date:18th century (?)
Geography:Nigeria, Court of Benin
Culture:Edo peoples
Medium:Brass
Dimensions:H. 20 in. × W. 7 3/4 in. × D. 15 in. (50.8 × 19.7 × 38.1 cm)
Classification:Metal-Sculpture
Credit Line:Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991
Accession Number:1991.17.54
Court of Benin; taken from the Royal Palace in 1897 during the British military occupation of Benin by Jack Whitehead, U.K.; (Sotheby Parke-Bernet and Co., London, December 2, 1980); [Merton D. Simpson, New York, acquired by 1981]; [Entwistle Gallery, London, by 1985–after 1986]; Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, New York, until 1991
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection," January 16–September 13, 1992.
The Frick Art & Historical Center. "Treasures From an African Kingdom: The Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 24, 1993–August 29, 1993.
Kimbell Art Museum. "Treasures From an African Kingdom: The Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 30, 1993–January 2, 1994.
High Museum of Art. "Treasures From an African Kingdom: The Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," January 25, 1994–April 24, 1994.
Cincinnati Art Museum. "Treasures From an African Kingdom: The Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 21, 1994–August 7, 1994.
Denver Art Museum. "Treasures From an African Kingdom: The Royal Art of Benin from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 6, 1994–November 28, 1994.
Ezra, Kate. Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, p. 85, no. 24.
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