The present lot can be seen in progress in these photographs of the artist in the London studio he shared with Sir William Reid Dick KCVO RA, helping us to date the work to 1957, a seminal year in the artist's oeuvre. Enwonwu was in London at the time to complete his royal commission, a full scale bronze sculpture of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but the opening of the Nigerian National Museum in Lagos the same year undoubtedly served as inspiration here. The museum was the brainchild of Enwonwu’s secondary school art teacher and Nigeria's first surveyor of antiquities, Kenneth Murray (1903-1972) and, as Okeke-Agulu writes, helped realise “the decades-long insistence by Enwonwu and Murray on the centrality of indigenous arts and cultures in the making of African and Nigerian modernity”. Enwonwu returned to Nigeria as official art adviser to the federal government in 1959, the same year his sculpture of the Queen was installed in Lagos.

The Court of the Oba of Benin is a visually electric and superb depiction of a celebration or commemoration which is likely to have taken place in the expansive open foreground of the palace of the Oba of Benin. Several festivals or commemorative events are held in Benin, the most popular being the annual Igue festival which is celebrated as a form of thanksgiving and rejuvenation of the connections between man and God. These festivals by their very nature lend colour, sound and movement in their pomp and pageantry, and provides the painter with the latitude to explore his colour palette. His rich but abbreviated colour palette includes the use of rusty orange for the sceptres, which compliment the beads. The greys and blacks create a rich contrast which accentuates the entire composition. One can almost hear the beats of the drums as the dancers respond in frenzied moves. Benedict Enwonwu lived in Benin between 1941 and 1944. During his time in the city, he was immersed in studying Edo cultural traditions, observing traditional festivals, understudying the Benin brass casters, and imparting knowledge in the arts to a group of young boys in the prestigious all-male high school known as Edo College.

Enwonwu referenced the Benin culture not only whilst he was in Benin, but continued to hold on to memories and imageries of its traditions even when he travelled to England in 1944. Like the bronze casters who depicted rich historical moments in the king’s court, Enwonwu successfully captures the nuances of facial expression, scimitars of authority and regalia, and the overall spirit of celebration. Once you focus on the painting, other details and meanings begins to unfold.

The conglomeration of staffs, is anticipatory of the king’s appearance. The chiefs are positioned in line to welcome him. At the foreground is a bare chested young male sword-bearer or (Omuada ) hoisting the Ada (royal scimitar). He looks ahead defiant in the task of leading the King’s procession. Our attention is also drawn to the row of chiefs clad in white wrappers. The white garbs signify purity. Enwonwu pays attention to details that might otherwise go unnoticed. The chief in the middle of the composition draws you into the painting and becomes one of the focal points. The first chief in the row has his front hair shaven clean, in a hairstyle (Uguakpata) commonly worn by Benin palace chiefs. Corals beads are worn around their necks and the long string of beads (ÉKPAÉN) crisscross their wrappers. Right next to him is another male wearing a beaded crown (Erhu'ede ) and the collar beads (Odigba). A long string known as Udahae runs down the side of his face from the crown. At first thought, this would appear to be the king. However, this is unlikely given the rather insignificant position he holds standing amongst the chiefs. This placement is contrary to the established centrally positioned representation of the King in classical Benin objects. This remains a puzzle. Indeed, this unusual insertion could be due to Enwonwu’s artistic freedom. It calls attention to the Benin people who allude to the deep mystic and complex nature of their existence as a people in an adage that literally translates, ‘Even when one arrives in Benin, Benin is still very far’.

As is characteristic of many of his paintings, Enwonwu employs repetition of forms to create depth, movement and rhythm, His use of perspective is dramatic and shows a mastery. The three dimensionality of the sceptres in the foreground reaffirms his position as a skilled sculptor who worked mainly in bronze and wood.

In terms of style, the artist uses a moderately toned palette. The colour of the chief’s wrappers extend into the sky creating an interesting V-shape culminating in a calmness that is different from the turbulent skies in a later painting, Storm Over Biafra (in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C.). Enwonwu is likely to have captured this event during the reign of His Majesty, Oba Akenzua II (R.1933-1978) whose tenure overlapped with the period of his stay in Benin. The skies tend to merge with the earth, bringing home a balance between the heavens and the firmaments, also reflected in the praise name of Oba Akenzua II whose appellation Akenzua niso n’orho means ‘peaceful as the skies after a rainfall’. Other interpretations refer to the king’s prosperous reign and his character of calmness.

The location of the seemingly insignificant figure to the right of the painting, carrying a box or perhaps, a camera, creates an interesting contrast to the verve and spirit of the event. The inclusion of this stealthy figure at the periphery is a masterstroke in Enwonwu’s overall perception of the artistic and political environment. His choice of subdued tones accentuates this contrast. The unobtrusive presence of this somewhat stick-like figure brings to mind another popular adage in Benin that describes the Palace as a place that never goes quiet - a reference to unceasing human activities where the rich and poor, old and young are all welcome into the palace.

This painting shows a moment of heightened expectation. As the staffs (Ada and Eben) go up, the chiefs perform activated dance steps swaying sometimes in opposite directions, to welcome the king (Oba). Enwonwu had moments of defining and redefining himself in the more global context in which he found himself. He was an African, an Igbo and at some point, he lay claims to being a Benin Prince. He celebrated the Edo culture, a culture which he was so proud to represent. It may have been prestigious at the time, living in Britain, to declare so, given the Benin/British encounter. In history, the image of Benin loomed large. It was a well-established kingdom which was sacked and looted by British soldiers in 1897. Thousands of objects, including the world acclaimed bronzes were shipped to London. The exquisite and sophisticated works of art were auctioned at several different times in England.

In conclusion, this painting shows off Enwonwu’s mastery and ability to create contrast, harmony and balance while taking on other nuances of culture which cannot be easily gleaned. All these complexities he achieves in this one painting.

Peju Layiwola is an artist and professor of art history University of Lagos. She was a Tyson Scholar at Crystal Bridges Museum (Fall 2019) and is currently Visiting Professor at the School of Arts, University of Arkansas, USA. She is President elect and Vice President of the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA). She is also the granddaughter of Akenzua II, the Oba of Benin (1933-1978).

Bibliogaphy:
Peju Layiwola, 'Ben Enwonwu’s The Risen Christ as a Religious Icon at the University Of Ibadan', in Dele Layiwola (ed.), The City State of Ibadan: Text and Context, (Ibadan, 2015), pp.169-176
Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist, (University of Rochester Press, 2008), p.58