Agba Stool, Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria early 20th century

carved teak

Probably presented to Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe (1858-1945)

Emmie Avery Keddell, The Earl and Countess of Crewe at Home, The Pall Mall Magazine, July-December 1906, vol.38., pp.427-428, illustrated in the Boudoir at Crewe House, London;
Crewe House, London, Inventory, Vol. 2, 1913, p.25, in the Boudoir; An oblong Indian teak wood stool, carved figures of War Gods, etc. on flat supports and stretcher 31” wide.

An interesting piece in reasonable condition. One of the lower side rails has come away but has been secured. One of the legs with an age crack which is secure. With old marks and scratches consistent with age and use.
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Three types of ceremonial stool are used in the Kingdom of Benin: the barrel like ekete; the round bronze or wood ehre; and the rectangular agba, of which the present lot is a particularly fine example. According to oral traditions the agba is the oldest of the three, pre-dating the founding, around 1300, of the current Oranmiyan dynasty. The rectangular form of the agba is rare in sub-Saharan Africa, as is the fact that the stool is pieced together, using mortise and tenon joints, rather than carved from a single piece of wood. This suggests that the agba stool as we know it may be fashioned after a model brought to Benin during the course of the Kingdom’s long history of trade and exchange with Europe.

 

Agba are used both by the King of Benin, the Oba, and by high ranking chiefs. As ceremonial objects which proclaim royal power, agba for use in the King’s palace were made by members of Igbesanmwan, the Royal guild of wood and ivory carvers. By the mid-nineteenth century agba were also carved by members of Omada, the association of youths who serve the Oba as pages and sword bearers. Members of Omada carved in their spare time and were free to make objects for sale to chiefs and foreign visitors to Benin. Since their work was, on the whole, secular, the decoration of agba carved by Omada is generally freer and more spontaneous than that of stools carved by Igbesanmwan, although their decoration still express the political, military, and magical powers of the divine Kings of Benin. The lively and spontaneous quality of the present lot suggests that it was probably made by a talented palace page.

 

The central figure on the seat of the present lot is the Oba, resplendent in full coral bead regalia, which only he was allowed to wear. In his right hand he brandishes a ceremonial sword (eben), and in his left hand he holds what may be a rattle or proclamation staff. To the left and right of the Oba are two small figures, one of whom holds a musket. Their attire suggests that they are warriors; perhaps they depict two members of Omada dressed as such. To the left and right of the Oba stand two high ranking chiefs, dressed in coral outfits which are not so lavish as the King’s. The chief to the left of the Oba holds an eben sword, whilst the chief to the right holds an iron ceremonial sword known as ada. The eben and ada swords are both important insignia of the King’s power, and the chiefs hold them as a sign of honour and fealty. The two writhing serpents, an apparent horror vacui, also have significance. They may represent swamp dwelling pythons, a reference to the sea-god Olokun, who rules undersea as the counterpart to the Oba, the ruler of land, or puff-adders which,  for the people of Benin, symbolise the wealth and gifts that flow into the Oba’s palace from his loyal subjects.