Hip Ornament with Human Face (Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ)
1 of 3
Object Label
Benin court officials have long worn a variety of brass ornaments as part of their elaborate regalia for ceremonial occasions. Such ornaments were worn on the left hip, covering the closure of a wrapped skirt. The three metal scarification marks on either side of the forehead identify the individual portrayed as a royal Edo man. Similar items of regalia are worn by Benin court officials today.
Caption
Edo. Hip Ornament with Human Face (Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ), 18th century (possibly). Copper alloy, iron, 6 13/16 × 4 5/16 × 2 1/4 in. (17.3 × 11 × 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Beatrice Riese, 1994.143. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1994.143_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Hip Ornament with Human Face (Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ)
Date
18th century (possibly)
Geography
Place made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Medium
Copper alloy, iron
Classification
Dimensions
6 13/16 × 4 5/16 × 2 1/4 in. (17.3 × 11 × 5.7 cm)
Inscriptions
faint evidence of a number in white along the PR side of the base, possibly "B60(?).8.513"
Credit Line
Gift of Beatrice Riese
Accession Number
1994.143
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at