Palace Plaque of a War Chief, Warriors and Attendants

During the 16th and 17th centuries, royal brass-casting guilds created elaborately detailed plaques depicting court rituals and state ceremonies for the pillars and walls of the king's palace. On this plaque, a war chief in coral-bead regalia, flanked by warriors and attendants, raises a ceremonial eben sword in a gesture of honor and allegiance during the annual Igue ceremony to fortify the king's mystical powers. The incised quatrefoil background of river-plant leaves situates this court ritual within the realm of Olokun, god of the waters, wealth, well-being and fertility.