Benin Bronze Altar Group for a Queen Mother (18-19th century) in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin
After a queen mother died, the oba commissioned a com-memorative metal head and placed it on an altar for her.
Altars for iyobas were also adorned with cast metal group sculptures, with a figure of an iyoba surrounded by royal attendants. The iyoba was the only woman to occupy one of the highest offices in the kingdom.