A small ivory face of a woman with calm eyes, a crown of small carved heads above her forehead, and two lines between her brows

OC 025

The ivory mask of Queen Mother Idia

A carved ivory face of Idia, mother of Oba Esigie and the first Iy’Oba, or queen mother. In 1897 the British consul-general, Ralph Moor, recorded finding carved ivory masks in the Oba’s bedchambers.1,2,3

Date
16th centuryIX · Oceans crossed
Place
Benin City, Nigeria
Type
Pendant mask · Ivory, iron and brassKingdom of Benin
Size
23.8 cm high
Made by
Igbesanmwan, the ivory and wood carvers’ guild
Held by
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkMuseum number 1978.412.323
Image
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via The Met Open Access
Appears in

Where it sits in human time

Made about 500 years ago. On this strip, each step to the right is ten times closer to today.

300,000 years ago10,0003,0001,000100nowThe ivory mask of Queen Mother Idia

Sources for this page

Every number on this page comes from one of these. How we check.

Last reviewed 12 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

  1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pendant mask of Ìyọ́bà Idià. Edo peoples, Ìgbèsànmwà (ivory- and wood-carving guild) artists, 16th century. Collection record 318622, Open Access (CC0). www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/318622Used for: An ivory pendant mask of Queen Mother Idia, 23.8 cm high. Checked 12 November 2026.
  2. Digital Benin (2020–2026), hosted by MARKK Hamburg; principal investigators K. Agbontaen-Eghafona, F. Bodenstein, J. Fine, A. Luther and B. Plankensteiner. Itan Edo: Queens, Queen Mothers and Prominent Women. Drawing on Ebohon (2019), Edebiri (2003) and Egharevba (1968). digitalbenin.org/itan-edo/queens-queen-mothers-and-prominent-womenUsed for: Iy’Oba Idia and the title of queen mother. Checked 12 November 2026.
  3. Digital Benin (2020–2026), hosted by MARKK Hamburg; principal investigators K. Agbontaen-Eghafona, F. Bodenstein, J. Fine, A. Luther and B. Plankensteiner. Provenance contexts: “Looting of the Ọba’s Palace”, “Looting of the Benin Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (Brass Plaques)”, “Destruction of the Palatial Compound”, “Benin-Portuguese Ivories”, “Diplomatic Gifts”. digitalbenin.org/provenance/contextsUsed for: The invasion of February 1897, the looting and the fire; how the plaques were found, shipped and sold; the Benin-Portuguese ivories. Checked 12 November 2026.