The figure wears an ornate wrap-around skirt and a poncho, held in place with a belt adorned with an animal mask. In typical fashion, the waistcloth is decorated with a stiff, pointed appendage.
In the Viennese Catalogue "Benin. Kings and Rituals. Court Arts from Nigeria" Barbara Blackmun describes the helmet as a "beehive-like cap" adorned with upright feathers in which a pattern of wavy lines is engraved. Around his neck, the figure wears a leopard-claw necklace.
In the literature, this figure is usually seen as a court official whose job it was to herald the arrival of the Oba's royal entourage with the blow of his horn during public processions. Because the figure is often depicted on plaques alongside warriors, it can also be assumed that he had certain military obligations.
Cp.:
Felix von LUSCHAN: Die Altertümer von Benin, Band 1-3, Berlin 1919, S. 292/ 293.
William B. FAGG: Bildwerke aus Nigeria, München 1963, S. 58.
Barbara PLANKENSTEINER (Hg.): Benin. Kings and Rituals. Court Arts from Nigeria, Vienna 2007, S. 315.
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