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How did Benin artists organize scenes on commemorative ivory tusks?
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ivory carving
Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.
In the kingdom of Benin, artists organized scenes on commemorative ivory tusks using neat, horizontal registers. These registers are designed to be read sequentially from the bottom of the tusk to the top.1
To depict the events of an oba's (king's) reign, carvers relied on established motifs and specific artistic conventions:
- Identification of Figures: Artists used standardized regalia to distinguish between individuals. For example, an oba is identifiable by his lattice-patterned crown and specific royal attire, while European traders are typically depicted with bearded faces and hatlike helmets.1
- Hierarchical Scale: To emphasize the importance of specific figures, artists employed hierarchical scale, a technique where significant individuals are depicted as larger than those around them.1
These carved tusks were traditionally supported by brass altar heads, which were placed on ancestral altars dedicated to a predecessor.21