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Osuan with Ewua companions

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Osuan with crop and ada sword accompanied by two members of the Ewua guild The priest Osuan can be recognised by the cone-shaped top of his headdress, which only the king and some dignitaries were allowed to wear. The long whip he carries in his hand was used to ward off evil forces during sacrifices. Osuan also had the privilege of carrying an ada sword. He is accompanied by two members of the Ewua guild, whose task it was to wake the king in the morning ceremonies.

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Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
Relief plaque
Dimensions
Weight: 3 kg
Height: 41,3 cm
Depth: 5,2 cm
Width: 39,2 cm
Material/Technique
Brass, copper alloy
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 8371

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Benin [kingdom]
  • Production
    when
    16th century
    where
    Nigeria
  • Collecting
    who
    Heinrich Bey - Collectors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    16th cent, commissioned by Oba Esigie (r. 1517-1550) or his son Oba Orhogbua (r. 1550-1570), Royal Palace, Benin City; by inheritance to Oba Ovonramwen (ca. 1857-1914; r. 1888-97), Royal Palace, Benin City; looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; in unknown possession after the conquest of the Kingdom of Benin; collected on behalf of the firm Bey & Co, between 1897 and 1898 in the territory of later colonial Nigeria; sold to the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin, 1899.
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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