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Arm cuff

The Oba (king) of Benin put on such broad ivory arm cuffs for certain festivals. The ivory carvers worked almost exclusively for the state cult to glorify the religious-political order. Therefore, they ritually prepared for their work and considered themselves inspired by spiritual beings. The interpretation of the heavily worn reliefs as heads of Portuguese and lungfish (rather than catfish) seems plausible. Text: Dietmar Neitzke.

Data Provider
Linden-Museum Stuttgart Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde
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Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Edo
Object type
Arm cuff
Dimensions
Durchmesser: 7.8 cm, Höhe: 12.5 cm
Material/Technique
Ivory, Copper
Driven, carved
Current location
Linden-Museum Stuttgart
Inventory number
117889

Provenance and sources

where
Nigeria

when
1940
Provenance
The inventory book noted for this object that it was probably purchased by Hans Meyer from W.D. Webster before it came to the Linden Museum through Seeger. A reference image can be found in W.D. Webster's Illustrated Catalogue 29, fig. 13 (11275). Text: Markus Himmelsbach.

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