Benin's Royal Ivory Carving Guilds Produce Masterworks

Benin's Igun Eronmwon guild of ivory carvers, working under royal patronage, produces intricately detailed saltcellars, carved tusks, and portrait masks commissioned by the Oba and Portuguese merchants. A pair of ivory hip masks depicting the Oba's mother, Queen Idia — featuring Portuguese faces along the crown — demonstrate both artistic brilliance and cross-cultural sophistication.