Pectoral: Face

15th–17th century

This brass mask, similar to others, was owned by prominent chiefs and titled individuals of the Benin kingdom. These masks, which depict the face of the oba, were worn around the neck as a sign of rank and loyalty to the king. As Benin gained more political power and military control over its neighboring regions, the foreign rulers who were integrated into the political system also received these masks. These works were made by royal brass casters at the court and were distributed to new chiefs by the oba. This particular mask is believed to have belonged to either the Amapetu of Mahin or the Olugbo of Ugbo, two Yoruba rulers situated approximately eighty miles west of Benin City.
The mask is similar to other pectoral masks in that it displays a human face surrounded at the bottom by an ornamental flange with loops for small metal rattles. The hair is depicted as a series of small concentric circles with a sharply angular hairline at the border. The forehead has two vertical iron inlaid marks that lend balance and dignity to the face while the pupils of the eyes have an intensity and power befitting a ruler. The four vertical marks on either side of the forehead are typically found on Benin sculptures of Edo women or non-Edo men, which suggests that this mask may have been created specifically for a foreign ruler.