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Orufanran Costume Attachment: Crocodile Head

17th–19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 342
The influence of Benin royal art is particularly apparent in Owo, a Yoruba kingdom that came under Benin control in the fifteenth century and again in the eighteenth. Located on the eastern edge of Yorubaland, Owo is almost equidistant from Benin and Ife, the Yoruba cultural and religious center from which the reigning dynasty in Benin traces its origin.

Although some Owo artworks resemble the highly naturalistic brass and terracotta sculptures of Ife, the regalia of Owo's kings and chiefs is most like that of their counterparts in Benin. Owo is renowned for its ivory carving, and many of the ivory ornaments and cups made for Owo's rulers are similar in form or imagery to objects from Benin. The highest-ranking chiefs of Owo used ivory costume elements to demonstrate their exalted status.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Orufanran Costume Attachment: Crocodile Head
  • Date: 17th–19th century
  • Geography: Nigeria
  • Culture: Yoruba peoples, Owo group
  • Medium: Ivory, wood or coconut shell inlay
  • Dimensions: H. 5 1/2 × W. 2 3/16 × D. 1 1/2 in. (14 × 5.6 × 3.8 cm)
  • Classification: Bone/Ivory-Ornaments
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991
  • Object Number: 1991.17.125
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Lidded Vessel, Yoruba artist, Ivory, wood or coconut-shell inlay, Yoruba peoples, Owo group
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Dance crest, Ejagham artist, Wood, animal hide, cane, iron, pigment, bone or ivory, Ejagham peoples
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Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià, Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists, Ivory, iron, brass, coal, traces of iron oxides, Edo
Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià
Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists
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Òpó (veranda post) with equestrian and female figure, Olowe of Ise Nigerian, Iroko wood, paint, resin
Òpó (veranda post) with equestrian and female figure
Olowe of Ise
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Pair of chiefly bracelets with Portuguese and Edo figures, Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists, Ivory, wood or coconut-shell inlay, Edo peoples
Pair of chiefly bracelets with Portuguese and Edo figures
Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood- carving guild) artists
1815–97

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