Horn blower (Ikpakohẹn)

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Figure of a Court Musician (Ikpakohẹn), Kingdom of Benin

This brass figure depicts a court musician, known as an Ikpakohẹn, playing a side-blown horn. Crafted by the Edo people using the lost-wax casting method, these figures were part of the royal court of the Oba (king) and often placed on ancestral altars. They served as a record of the court hierarchy and history. This piece dates to a peak period of Benin artistic production (c. 16th–17th centuries) and highlights the technical skill of the royal guilds. The intricate details on the garment, suggesting a leopard hide pattern, denote the musician’s high status.