this brass head dates from the early 16th century
{"Image DocumentName": "This brass head of queen Idia dates from the early 16th century", "Image ImageDescription": "This brass head of queen Idia dates from the early 16th century. It can be described as \u2018shocking\u2019 as a \u2018sophisticated\u2019 masterpiece at such early era. It is also \u2019skilled\u2019 as the process of casting brass is very technical. The decorative pointed headdress reflects a royal image of the queen mother, both advisor and sometimes a warrior. The four scarification marks or scars above eyebrows distinguish her from men as used to have only three. Coral beads hang from the bottom of the headdress and appear in the necklace the completely covers the neck as an attribute of royalty. Moreover, the head is idealized in shape in a series of elegant concave and convex curves. Still, her eyes are slightly downcast- a reflection of female inferiority at the time. Queen Idia, mother of Oba Esigie, king of Benin from the late fifteenth to the early sixteenth century, played a key role in her son s military campaigns against the Igala people, which may have been over control of the Niger waterway. Benin finally won these wars and made the Igala king a vassal of the Oba. A brass head representing Queen Idia was made to be placed in her altar following her death. It is said that Oba Esigie instituted the title of Queen Mother and established the tradition of casting heads of this type in honour of her military and ritual powers. Such heads were placed in altars in the palace and in the Queen Mother s residence.", "Image XResolution": "37", "Image YResolution": "37", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Centimeter", "Image Software": "SlidePlayer", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered"}