Traditional Nigerian Art

Traditional Nigerian Art
The Nigerian traditional art works includes the art culture that was discovered in
various communities and villages in Nigeria. Nigeria as a country consists of many
tribe, dialects and cultures. The forms, styles and materials that were used in those
works revealed the different traditional cultures in this country. History of Art deals
with description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of ideas recorded in any
object or concepts.
IFE ART
The metal sculptures of naturalistic and life-size human heads for which Ife is today
most famous are so masterfully executed that when Europeans discovered them
they could not believe that ancient black Africans had made such masterpieces. The
heads were made from the 11th to 15th century CE according to chemical analysis
and cast using the lost-wax process. Twelve heads were found all together in a royal
compound at Ife in 1938 CE and several more have been discovered since including a
pure copper mask.
In 1910, the German anthropologist Leo Frobenius visited the Nigerian city of Ife and
brought several ancient terracotta heads back to Germany. He claimed a Greek
colony in Africa produced the incredibly naturalistic sculpture he discovered.
The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in
stone, terracotta, brass and copper and created a style unlike anything in Africa at
the time. The technical sophistication of the casting process is matched by the
artworks' enduring beauty.
The Bronze Head from Ife, or Ife Head, is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures
that were unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria, the religious and former royal centre of
the Yoruba people. The head sculptures were cast in brass and sometimes also made
from pottery. The human heads are all unique but their precise purpose is not
known. They may represent rulers, gods, revered ancestors or have been used for
some religious purpose. Many heads have vertical lines down the face and these
may represent the ritual scars which marked an individual's passage from childhood
to adulthood. The heads have another curious feature which is a series of punched
holes around the lips and jawline, possibly for the attachment of beards or veils of
glass beads.
Places where these artifacts were found are Ore grove (, Ita Yemoo grove (Figure of a
king), Owonrin grove, wunmonije grove (Figure of a king), Olokun grove site (Head
with crown), Aroye compound (Vessel with monstrous face and sixteen rosette
patterns around the surface, some with mica centers, Eight-petal rosette),
Osangangan Obamakin Shrine (Head with vertical line facial marks), Obalara’s
Compound (Mask with vertical line facial markings Obalufon temple site), Olokun
Walode site (Head with “cat whisker” marks) and Lafogido site (animal sculptures
were conceived as royal emblems, their distinctive crown diadems).
Characteristics of Ife Art

 Art comes from archaeological sites found in western Nigeria.
 Consists of objects made from terracotta, bronze, and stone.
 Objects date 1000-500 B.P (1000 and 1500 A.D).
 Believed to be created for the ruling elite.
 Full length figures and busts are common.
 Figures are sometimes heavily beaded.
 The figures are quite naturalistic and stylised.
 Ife heads are life size with Yoruba tribal marks.
 Ife art is popularly known by the lines running across the faces of human figures
(scarification)
Mask Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce

Copper. Height: 33 cm Retained in the palace since the time of its manufacture
(through the early twentieth century) where it was identified as King Obalufon
Alaiyemore (Obalufon II). Nigeria National Museums, Lagos Mus. reg. no. 38.1.2.
Photo: Karin W
Head with crown Olokun grove site, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce Copper
alloy; Height: 343 mm Nigeria National Museums,
Figure of a king Wunmonije site, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce Copper
alloy. Height: 370 mm. National Museums, Lagos.
Figure of a king Ita Yemoo site. Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce Copper alloy.
Height: 473 mm. National Museums, Lagos.
Vessel with monstrous face and sixteen

rosette patterns around the surface, some with mica centers Aroye compound, Ile-
Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce Terracotta; Height:178 mm
Bowl depicting a recumbent scepter-holding

queen atop a looping handle throne Ita Yemoo Site, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th
century ce Copper alloy; Height: 121 mm
Seated figure Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th
century ce Copper. Height: 53.7 cm Found on a shrine in Tada, on the Niger River,
192 km. northeast of Ife. Nigeria National Museums, Lagos:
BENIN ART
Benin art is the art from the Kingdom of Benin or Edo Empire (1440–1897), a pre-
colonial African state located in what is now known as the South-South region of
Nigeria. ... This original significance is of great importance in Benin.
Benin art was discovered from 1897 on Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Benin (in
present-day Nigeria) by British forces. It present location is mainly in British Museum,
others scattered around Europe and the US. Objects consist of busts and plaques
depicting important historical events. The art objects are predominantly made from
bronze but also include ivories. Busts are commemorative heads for members of the
royal family. Objects are divided into three periods: early, middle, and late. Benin art
could also be regarded as court art. Court and ceremonial art makes up a vital corpus
of Benin art. It is a art forms that exemplify or illustrate the elegant tastes or
customs of a royal court —often opposed to folk art.
The materials used in Benin's royal arts—primarily brass, ivory, and coral—are
endowed with sacred power. The innate value of these materials within Benin and
the time and skill that is invested in working them reflect the earthly and
otherworldly influence of the Oba and the great wealth of his kingdom. Benin's royal
arts belong to a tradition that favors convention even as it promotes creativity and
innovation, especially as a reflection of royal prerogative. Through time, rulers have
used the arts to interpret the history of the kingdom and to orient themselves with
the past in an effort to support their own initiatives and define their images for
posterity.
The Lost Wax Method
The lost wax method involved first making a wax model of a sculpture, then creating
a clay mould around it and melting the wax inside. Molten metal was then poured
into the clay mould, filling the space left by the melted wax. While this multi-stage
process had also been used in neighbouring Igboland and Yorubaland, the Benin
craftsmen perfected it and went on to produce outstandingly intriguing works that
have captured scholarly, ethnographic and sociological attention till this day.
Characteristics of Benin Art

 Thin castings.
 Busts depict beaded collars snugly around necks.
 Delicately rendered facial features. See awareness of bone and flesh.
 Careful treatment of hair.
 Queen mother busts with distinctive coral headdress (curving cone) are common.
 Casting is thick and not carefully done.
 Faces become inflated, the headress has winged extensions, and flanges appear
on the bottom of the busts.
 Beaded collars rise above the mouth.
 Eyes are more un-realistic.
 Destruction of the empire due to British colonization.
 Ivory objects are common.
 Dated from (1600-1700 AD).
Benin Bronze Relief Plaque, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
OWO ART
Owo traces its origins back to the ancient city of Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba culture.
Oral tradition also claims that the founders were the sons of the Yoruba
deity Odudua, who was the first ruler of Ile-Ife. The early art-historical and
archaeological records reinforce these strong affiliations with Ife culture. Owo was
able to maintain virtual independence from the neighboring kingdom of Benin, but
was on occasion required to give tribute. The transmission of courtly culture flowed
in both directions between the Benin and the Owo kingdoms.
The skill of Owo's ivory carvers was also appreciated at the court of Benin. During
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Benin's rulers increasingly utilized insignia
made from ivory, and imported Owo's art objects and recruited its artisans for their
own royal workshops. There were other notable artworks that can be evidently
supported.
The Owo site was first excavated in 1969-1971 by Ekpo Eyo under the auspices of the
Department of Antiquities of the Government of Nigeria. Due to Owo's location
between the two famous art centers of Ife and Benin, the site reflects both artistic
traditions. Important discoveries include terracotta sculptures dating from the 15th
century.
The ancient city of Owo is a frontier Yoruba state in South Western Nigeria. It is
precisely located in present day Ondo State. Owo is situated approximately midway
between Ile-Ife and Benin, 75 miles North West of Benin City and 100 miles East of
Ile-Ife. In pre-colonial Nigeria, Owo kingdom was large and had political power, but
at different times it came under political domination of both Ile-Ife and Benin
kingdom.
The affected the city culturally as the two cultures became intermingled with Owo
culture; this is largely due to the intensive and extensive content and historic
relations between Owo kingdom and Ile-Ife and the Benin kingdoms. The people of
Owo were known to have adopted the festivals, chieftaincy titles and religion of their
neighbours. This is seen in the Olowo of Owo, adorning a crown made of coral beads
like the king of Benin Kingdom rather than the crown of multi-coloured thread beads
(ceremonial swords) like the Oba of Benin.
Ile-Ife and Benin had considerable influence on Owo culture, especially, in their
sculptures where the style of both Ife and Benin are seen. However, Owo had its
peculiar art style and forms distinct from those of her neighbours.
The first major archeological excavation in Owo at Igbo-Laja started in 1969 by the
late Prof. Ekpo Eyo, then Director of the Federal Department of Antiquities, in which
his team unearthed mainly terracotta objects.The fragment of terracotta sculptures
were first discovered at a building site at Egberem Street to the north of Okiti-
Aseogbo, which incidentally, as Owo claims, is the hill where they first settled after
leaving Ife.
The finds demonstrated close links with the Ife terracottas and bronzes as well as the
Benin bronzes and wood carvings. The Igbo-Laja finds were dated to the 15th
century A.D. and provided concrete evidence of the dual influence of Ife and Benin
on Owo art. Most of the Igbo-Laja objects relate to the theme of sacrifice, which was
connected to the appeasement and appeal for assistance, particularly in times of war,
famine and epidemic, among others, to Oronsen and the Igogo festival.
Oronsen was a beautiful, influential and affluent Queen of Olowo Renrengenje who,
according to oral tradition, left the palace in anger after a confrontation with her co-
wives. She sojourned to a place, which coincides with Igbo-Laja location where she
disappeared into earth.
Characteristics of Owo Art

 The parallel striations on the face,
 There is an overlap at the corners of the eye
 There a raised edge of the lips, and the parallel line on the upper eyelids
 The eyebrows are more clearly delineated than at Ife.
 Most of the Owo objects come in fragments and also in the fragility of terracotta.
 Owo objects are more of rituals and sacrifices.
 Owo lips are thicker.
 The head often comes with crowns.
 The faces of Owo objects displays a very realistic expression of the daily life
hustle and struggle.
These are OWO art pieces, excavated in 1969 from

OWO town which lies between two states in Nigeria- Ife and Benin. Hence the
artworks possess features of both Ife and Benin art.
Osanmasimin Artkhade: Tete Dautel Yoruba Owo

Traditional Nigerian Art

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Traditional Nigerian Art

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Traditional Nigerian Art

Characteristics of Ife Art

Mask Ile-Ife, Nigeria, c. early 14th century ce

Vessel with monstrous face and sixteen

Bowl depicting a recumbent scepter-holding

Characteristics of Benin Art

Characteristics of Owo Art

These are OWO art pieces, excavated in 1969 from

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