ART ON VIEW
1. Master of the Curved-Horn Ram: Ouidah. Mid
to late nineteenth century (fi gs. 1, 5, and 6). This
artist’s animated animal portrayals (rams, chickens,
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serpents, crocodiles, turtles, fi sh, etc.) show
his unique mastery of iron. The artist’s striking
portrayals of rams with long curved horns (fi g.
1) are particularly distinctive. His human fi gures
display larger-than-normal hands, often tightly
curved with separated thumbs, and large fl at feet
that are set at a prominent angle to the shin. Physiognomies
are carefully delineated, often with protruding
sharp noses, outward rounded eyes, and
outward fl aring ears. A number of his asen are dedicated
to women (fi g. 5). These women, generally
shown on elite stools rather than kneeling, display
long, thin, cylindrical breasts. The iron stems of
his female asen are notably shorter than those for
men, and straight struts further distinguish the
female asen, as opposed to the alternating zigzag
iron struts characteristic of male asen forms. All
his works show neat, clear compositions with the
principal fi gure positioned prominently in the center
and each of the compositional elements—from
plants to seats to animals—is clearly defi ned. Figures
often are secured to the platform surface by
direct soldering rather than by folded iron tabs
used by other Ouidah smiths. The togbe pendants
are neatly and evenly spaced around the perimeter
and are secured to the full height of the rolled
edge surface by embedded knobs. These pendants
vary in subject matter, many referring to European
trade (anchors, paddles). In the larger grouping
of subject matter, we see references to Dahomey
Kings Guezo (1818–58) and Glele (1858–89), as
well as to French traders (fl ags) (fi g. 6), reinforcing
the likely mid-nineteenth-century dates of his oeuvre.
Today his works are found in many important
collections. Some of these represent the powerful
minister known as the Yovogan, “Lord of the
Whites,” the individual charged with European
relations. Plausibly this artist is Akati (Ekplekendo
Zomabodo Glenegbe), the same smith who in
1860 made the famous iron sculpture linked to Gu
(Gou), the god of iron (fi g. 7).
2. Master of the Rolled-Brim Hat: Ouidah. Mid
to late nineteenth century (fi gs. 8 and 9). Many of
this artist’s male fi gures wear wide-brimmed hats,
the edges of which curl upward. Women often
wear headcloths and have thin, cylindrical breasts.
Faces are fl at with punched eyes and mouths, and
the hands are curved with well-demarcated
fi ngers. Some of his stools show sides
with cut-out edges, a form that also
is seen in crosses by this artist. Many
of the animal and human fi gures are
attached to the surface by folded tablike
additions soldered to the platform.
The perimeter band sometimes bears a
cut-iron border. In attaching the togbe
pendants, small knobs secured neatly
around the edge of the platform are
employed. These pendants often are
smaller than those of the Master of
the Curved-Horn Ram. Larger-than-usual stools
are included in his works (compare fi g. 10), sometimes
with sides that terminate in spirals at the
edges. These tall djandemen-style chief stools (a
group drawn from Akan examples) are seen in all
the asen examples illustrated in this essay. These
are different from the shorter, round, three-foot-
FIG. 4 (below): Dedication
of a new asen created by a
member of the Hountondji
guild of royal blacksmiths
and jewelers by the Awesu
family in Abomey.
Photo: S. P. Blier, 1986.
FIG. 5 (left): Asen by the
Master of the Curved-Horn
Ram. Ouidah, Republic
of Benin. Mid–late 19th
century.
Iron. H: 114 cm.
Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, inv.
1010-61.
A woman holding a calabash sits
on an elite djandemen throne, her
feet positioned on a smaller stool.
Adjacent to her are two ceramic
vessels of the type used to carry
the spring water used in local
ceremonies.