Oba Ovonramwen’s £4.5m mask for auction in UK
By Agency Reporter
Wednesday, 22 Dec 2010

A 16th Century Benin Ivory pendant mask put at £4.5m is to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s in London, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.



The mask, according to the Financial Times of London, is to be auctioned in February. It said it was one of the last great masterpieces of Benin sculpture remaining in private hands and was believed to have been worn by Oba Ovonranmwen before the British punitive expedition to Benin Kingdom in 1897.



Standing at 22cm high, the mask is being sold by the descendants of Lt.-Col. Sir Henry Lionel Gallwey, whow as the deputy commissioner and vice-consul in the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1891.



Galleway took part in the infamous expedition.



Meanwhile, the Director of African Oceanic Arts at Sotheby’s, Mr. Jean Fritts, has said the mask has an amazing, untouched surface which collectors love.



“Its honey colour attests to years of rubbing with palm oil,” he stated.



A bronze head of an Oba who ruled around 1575-1625 was sold for a record £44.7m in 2007.



There have been several calls for the return of artefacts stolen from the Benin Kingdom and kept in various art galleries around the world.

The sales of this mask stolen from Nigeria shows the magnitude of looting the imperialists perpetuated in the past which is being continued by the descendants of the imperialists. The Federal Government should ask for the return of this mask which is our National treasure. This is a shameful act from the citizen of a country which prides itself a "saint.

I have read several articles on this in the past.imagine their reason for refusing to return the mask; 'It is too fragile to travel by air and the atmosphere of nigeria is not condusive for it'.

We are not talking to the Europeans in language they understand. It is the language of religion. Christianity, in all its versions, mean more to them than anything else.

If we threaten that unless the mask is returned to the palace, the entire country, beginning in Benin City, will convert from Christianity back to indigenous religions or Islam. . . . I bet you the Anglican church, the Vatican, the Orthodox and all other protestants will get involved and stop the sale and make sure the mask is returned safely to the palace.

They have nothing to lose. . . . so why should they care about our sentiments for the mask. There should be a price to pay in a service they cannot afford to lose control on and that we have a choice to accept or reject. . . . . and that service is religion.

Ewooo come see yeye people wey obtain our national treasures ooo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TelNsZ9ocUU&feature=player_embedded

udennaa:

I have read several articles on this in the past.imagine their reason for refusing to return the mask; 'It is too fragile to travel by air and the atmosphere of nigeria is not condusive for it'.

Haba, so how did they survive in our country for centuries hey oyinbo and their theif theif, dem no go rest?

The excuses reasons I heard was the following;

'Well no one would have known about the Benin Empire if we hadn't displayed their work'

'We never stole it, it was the colonialist thus we do not inherit such liabilities' - oh the irony.

'Nigeria cannot maintain them'

tori tori

Negro_Ntns:

If we threaten that unless the mask is returned to the palace, the entire country, beginning in Benin City, will convert from Christianity back to indigenous religions or Islam. . . . I bet you the Anglican church, the Vatican, the Orthodox and all other protestants will get involved and stop the sale and make sure the mask is returned safely to the palace.

haha- what a funny joke.


they will convert back to indigenous religion or what did you say?

already done long ago.



so that's scaring nobody.

nigeria aint a jazz center for no reason.

http://www.modernghana.com/news/310930/1/when-will-britain-return-looted-golden-ghanaian-ar.html

WELL THE ABOVE LINK TELLS GHANA@S OWN LOOTED ITEMS FAR BACK IN THE 18 CENTURY FROM THE FAMOUS ASHANIT KINGDOM ENCOMPRISING PURE GOLDEN ARTEFACTS. INFACT THEY ARE DISPLAYED IN BRITISH MESEUMS. THE LOOTING AS FROM EVERYWHERE THEY WENT. THOSE ITEMS ARE WORTH MILLIONS IF NOT A BILIION CONSIDERING THE AGE, FINE NATURE AND QUANTITY OF ARTEFACTS.