保护吊坠 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	保护吊坠
品名（英）	Protective Pendant
入馆年号	1979年，1979.206.301
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 1400 - 公元 1897
创作地区	尼日利亚（Nigeria）
分类	金属装饰品（Metal-Ornaments）
尺寸	高 6 1/8 英寸 × 宽 6 英寸 × 深 1 3/4 英寸 (15.5 × 15.2 × 4.4 厘米)
介绍（中）	这个半圆形的装饰物很可能是一位与贝宁王国结盟的省级酋长的财产，位于今天的尼日利亚南部。随着贝宁王国扩大其领土，它在纳入其政治结构的不同种族的人民中传播其宫廷传统。地区统治者经常挪用和重新配置贝宁的权力象征，供其在地方一级使用。在这个例子中，贝宁皇家艺术的一个标准主题，一个中央酋长两侧有两个支撑他的手臂的侍从，以独特的风格表现出来这种对领导人出现在公众面前的描述强调了统治者依赖其臣民支持的思想。然而，这个主题出现在远离贝宁王国中心的主要法庭上，可能被认为是主要权力的直接象征，表明与王室权威的联系。服装风格显然是以贝宁宫廷的服装为基础的，因为酋长穿着精心制作的包裹物、高领和头饰，让人想起首都皇家雕塑中描绘的那些。然而，这些人物有着纤细的胳膊和腿、球根状的头和咖啡豆色的眼睛，与贝宁王国首都贝宁城创作的同类作品在风格上有着显著的不同。
介绍（英）	This semicircular ornament was likely the property of a provincial chief allied to the Benin kingdom, in what is today southern Nigeria. As the Benin kingdom expanded its territory, it disseminated its courtly traditions among the ethnically diverse peoples who were incorporated into its political structure. Regional rulers frequently appropriated and reconfigured Benin's symbols of power for their own use at the local level. In this example, a standard motif from Benin royal art, a central chief flanked by two attendants who support his arms, has been represented in a distinctive style. This depiction of a leader as he appears in public emphasizes the idea of a ruler's reliance on the support of his subjects. Appearing at a chiefly court far removed from the kingdom of Benin's center, however, the motif may have been adopted as a straightforward symbol of chiefly power demonstrating connections to royal authority. The style of dress is evidently based on costumes from the Benin court, as the chief is depicted wearing an elaborate wrapper, high collar, and headdress reminiscent of those depicted in royal sculpture from the capital. With their willowy arms and legs, bulbous heads, and coffee-bean eyes, however, these figures represent a significant stylistic departure from comparable works created in Benin City, the capital of the kingdom of Benin.