Queen Mother Pendant Mask – Iyoba: The Benin ivory mask is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivoryof Idia, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the 16th century Benin Empire, taking the form of a traditional African mask, commissioned by the King of Benin to honor his mother.

  Ivory, both then and now, connotes royal wealth, power, and purity.

The masks were looted by the British from the palace of the Oba of Benin in the Benin Expedition of 1897

Until its restitution in 2022 to Nigeria, the Linden Museum in Germany had such a mask in its collection. Further, there are also similar masks at the Seattle Art Museum and one in a private collection.

this artwork is one of a pair of African ivory masks featuring the face of a woman from the African country of Benin.

pendants are worn at annual ceremonies of spiritual renewal and purification.

the impression of scarification or tattooing on the face reflects a rite common amongst the Benin people

Key facts sourced from #Wikipedia