图：女性 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	图：女性
品名（英）	Figure: Female
入馆年号	1978年，1978.412.302
策展部门	迈克尔·洛克菲勒之翼（The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing）
创作者
创作年份	公元 1700 - 公元 1800
创作地区	尼日利亚, 贝宁（Nigeria, Court of Benin）
分类	骨骼/象牙雕刻（Bone/Ivory-Sculpture）
尺寸	高 13 x 宽 3 7/8 x 深 3 5/8 英寸 (33 x 9.9 x 9.2 厘米)
介绍（中）	这个年轻的女性形象代表了贝宁王国统治者伊约巴的侍从或奥巴姆的母亲。王太后照顾在宫廷任职的年轻女性，直到她们达到适婚年龄。那时，她的儿子奥巴可以娶他们或将他们交给重要的酋长以巩固政治联盟。传统上，这些侍女在伊叶服务期间很少穿衣服，除了用珊瑚珠制成的精美装饰品，例如这里展示的凤头饰、项链、腰带、手镯和脚链。人物的粗壮比例和底座上雕刻的交错图案是贝宁象牙作品的典型特征。从十八世纪开始，象牙越来越多地用于皇家雕塑。与欧洲人的象牙贸易为王国带来了更多的财富和声望，这种繁荣的贸易关系是通过用这种珍贵的当地资源制成的宫廷物品唤起的。与黄铜和珊瑚等其他类似材料一样，象牙的使用受到严格管制。委托象牙制品的权利仅限于宫廷的高级成员，国王雇用的工匠协会是唯一被授权用这种材料制作物品的工匠。
介绍（英）	This young female figure represents an attendant of the iyoba, or mother of the obam the ruler of the Kingdom of Benin. The queen mother cared for young women who served at her court until they reached marriageable age. At that time, her son, the oba, could marry them or give them to important chiefs to cement political alliances. Traditionally, these ladies-in-waiting wore scant clothing during their service under the iyoba, except for elaborate ornaments made from coral beads such as the crested headdress, necklace, belt, bracelets, and anklets displayed here. The figure's stocky proportions and the interlace pattern carved on the base are typical of ivory works made in Benin. Beginning in the eighteenth century, ivory was increasingly used for royal sculpture. Trade in ivory with Europeans had brought increased wealth and prestige to the kingdom and this prosperous trade relationship was evoked through courtly objects made from this precious local resource. As with other comparable materials such as brass and coral, the use of ivory was tightly regulated. The right to commission ivory objects was limited to high-ranking members of the court, and a special guild of craftsmen employed by the king were the sole artisans authorized to create items from this material.