IYARE! Splendor & Tension in Benin’s Palace Theatre
November 8, 2008 – March 1, 2009
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Subject Doors to Learning:
Art
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Stylization (Elephant, Leopard, Mudfish)
Symbolism (Elephant, Leopard, Mudfish)
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The Elephant
19th century Benin wooden staff top showing king atop elephant
©University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008
Introduction: The elephant inhabits the Benin Kingdom’s forest environment, and is
symbolically associated with its ruler because of its power; it is, however, even more closely
associated with important chiefs, and with the concept of gathering riches and esoteric
knowledge. Numerous objects in the IYARE! exhibition include representations of elephants and
elephants’ heads, their trunks ending in a human hand; they can provide interesting starting
points for discussions in a variety of disciplines at varying grade levels. Use the “inspiractions”
IYARE! Doors to Learning – Subject Door – Art
 2008 Kathy Curnow
Page 1 of 5
(inspiration for a lesson plan plus activities) below to lead students into new areas of learning
connected to Africa.
Elephant: In Benin art, the elephant’s trunk is always shown as ending in a human hand, a
reference to its prehensile abilities. Often it appears as a highly abstract head with distorted
features, symbolizing the gathering of riches; leaves in the hands refer to collecting esoteric
knowledge of herbs and other natural substances to make powerful supernatural medicines.
“Inspiractions”: Discuss the meaning of the terms “naturalistic/realistic” and “abstract.” Have
students create a visual spectrum with images, going from one extreme to the other.
Have students look at a photo, a scientific diagram, and a Benin image of an elephant’s head.
What traits are exaggerated in the Benin version? What becomes the most important? What traits
vanish?
In the image above, as in much of Benin art, the physical size of objects is altered; the most
important figure is the largest—and humans are always considered more important than animals.
This type of social sizing is called hieratic scale. Have students create an artwork showing their
family, circle of friends, or other small group using Benin techniques of hieratic scale, frontality,
and attention to clothing details that portray rank.
http://www.iyare.net/
IYARE! Doors to Learning – Subject Door – Art
 2008 Kathy Curnow
Page 2 of 5
The Leopard
Drawing of a motif on a 19th century Benin ivory tusk
©University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008
Introduction: The leopard inhabits the Benin Kingdom’s forest environment, and is
symbolically associated with its ruler because of its beauty and deadliness. Numerous objects in
the IYARE! exhibition include representations of leopards; they can provide interesting starting
points for discussions in a variety of disciplines at varying grade levels. Use the “inspiractions”
(inspiration for a lesson plan plus activities) below to lead students into new areas of learning
connected to Africa.
Leopard: The leopard is an important Benin symbol for the king, referring to both his beauty
and his deadliness. In Benin art, depictions of animals are not photographic. Instead, some of
their physical aspects are reduced, others exaggerated, to create shorthand versions.
“Inspiractions”: Discuss the meaning of the terms “naturalistic/realistic” and “abstract.” Have
students create a visual spectrum with images, going from one extreme to the other.
Have students look at a photo, a scientific diagram, and a Benin image of a mudfish. What traits
are exaggerated or altered in the Benin version? What becomes the most important? What traits
vanish?
Have students go to the “Primary Sources” section of the IYARE! website’s “Palace School”
(Resources section) and open the Pitt-Rivers book. Have them find as many references to
leopards as possible and discuss how much variation the different versions have. What patterns
are used to represent their markings?
Discuss the concept of proportion with students. Ask them to compare the proportions of an
actual leopard with Benin images, then compare actual human proportions (particularly head to
body proportions) with those represented in Benin art.
http://www.iyare.net/
IYARE! Doors to Learning – Subject Door – Art
 2008 Kathy Curnow
Page 3 of 5
The Mudfish
Reconstruction of a 16th century ivory idiophone showing mudfish-legged ruler
©Linda Herman, 2008
Introduction: The term “mudfish” incorporates a number of species and sub-species of fish that
are common in the Benin Kingdom; some can be found throughout West Africa and varieties are
known in the U.S., particularly in Louisiana and Mississippi. They can crawl over short
distances, or stay alive in mud alone, reviving when water covers them. These unusual features
make them powerful symbols, but they are also popular foodstuffs. Numerous objects in the
IYARE! exhibition include representations of mudfish; they can provide interesting starting
points for discussions in a variety of disciplines at varying grade levels. Use the “inspiractions”
(inspiration for a lesson plan plus activities) below and resources on the IYARE! website
(http://www.iyare.net) to lead students into new areas of learning connected to Africa.
Mudfish: Several species of freshwater fish are called mudfish. Some of their traits provide
symbolic associations. They are important in Benin art due to their liminal qualities (see
vocabulary lesson for mudfish) and because of their association with the sea god Olokun and the
monarch (see social studies lesson for mudfish). In Benin art, their depictions are not
photographic. Instead, some of their physical aspects have been reduced, others exaggerated, to
create several shorthand versions of the fish.
“Inspiractions”: Discuss the meaning of the terms “naturalistic/realistic” and “abstract.” Have
students create a visual spectrum with images, going from one extreme to the other.
Have students look at a photo, a scientific diagram, and a Benin image of a mudfish. What traits
are exaggerated in the Benin version? What becomes the most important? What traits vanish?
Look through the IYARE! website “Exhibitions” section; how do images that refer to the
mudfish in the “Provinces” and “Revivals” section differ from those made by the Ẹdo?
IYARE! Doors to Learning – Subject Door – Art
 2008 Kathy Curnow
Page 4 of 5
Have students go to the “Primary Sources” section of the IYARE! website’s “Palace School”
(Resources section) and open the Pitt-Rivers book. Have them find as many references to
mudfish as possibly and discuss how much variation their shapes have. What patterns are used to
represent their surface?
Discuss with students some human categories they find liminal. What animals would be the best
choices for symbolically representing their limbs?
http://www.iyare.net/
IYARE! Doors to Learning – Subject Door – Art
 2008 Kathy Curnow
Page 5 of 5