Queen Mother Pendant Mask (16th Century)

Queen Mother Pendant Mask (16th Century)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 1.10

Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, by an Edo artist (16th Century)

An ivory and metal mask of a woman, with a tiara and necklace


Source: Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, thought to be of Idia, the mother of Oba (king) Esigie of Benin, by an Edo artist, 16th Century (The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Discussion Questions

  1. Are you surprised by the depictions of leadership positions held by Queen Idia of Benin and Queen Njinga of Ndongo-Matamba in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries? Why or why not?
  2. What stands out to you most about the Queen Mother Pendant Mask? Consider the portrayal of the subject, the details, and the material.
  3. Consider the three different artifacts as a collection. How do their depictions of the queens differ?