Altar of the Hand

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pwmn/hob_1979.206.218.htm

Altar of the Hand (Ikegobo), late 18th century
Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
Bronze; H. 8 1/4 in. (20.96 cm)
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.218)

The right hand is a very important symbol of power in Benin culture. The personal actions of an individual, as embodied in the symbol of the hand, are a key component to the path or fate of the individual, as it affects the degree of success someone may achieve. (5)

The altars of the hand, also called ikegobo, therefore celebrate this concept of success and power related to the symbol of the hand. The material the ikegobos are made out of varies according to rank. Bronze is reserved for royalty, meaning only the Oba (king) and the Iyoba (queen mother) can commission artwork in this medium. Other members of society may commission altars of the hand to be made in wood. (5)

This Altar of the Hand is one commissioned by a queen mother in the 18th century. It depicts the queen mother in the center, larger in scale than the other figures, and flanked by her young virgin attendants. Two of the attendants are carrying vessels upon their heads, perhaps with offerings within them. This piece of artwork shows the power that the queen mother has through both the depiction of her and her attendants, and the powerful symbolism of the hand that it embodies. (5)