Ok, so Friday's going to be busy -- the Benin Royal Ancestor Shrine is not one art object, but a display involving a lot of specific art objects as well as ritual. We can use everything we've learned so far, but there will be a lot to talk about.
There is tons of stuff on Benin and its art to supplement what's in the book on page 202.
This page at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology is exceptionally good -- make sure to read this one!
The Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford) also has a useful article about the Court Art of Benin
And of course the Metropolitan Museum of Art has good stuff too:
- an overview of Benin & other nations in the region.
- an article on lost-wax casting (the casting technique used for Benin metalwork)
- an article on the history of Benin
- an article on Idia, the first Queen-Mother of Benin
(These are all quite short, so please give them a look! I think they'll be helpful!)
