This richly carved elephant tusk stood vertically on one of the royal ancestral altars in the palace courtyards. It thus embodied the world axis, i.e. the connection between earth (this world) and heaven (the otherworld). This perpendicular is a central stylistic element in the formal language of Beninese art. These altars with their objects served the ancestor cult. The king as the highest priest offered sacrifices here in order to draw the blessings of the heavenly powers over his royal ancestors to earth. The tusks were thus covered with sacrificial blood. The burn marks, however, are from the British plunder during the conquest in 1897. Depicted here are King Ohen (with fish tail, snake belt and ceremonial sword), a soldier (with bell), King Ewuare (supported by the throne prince and by the supreme commander of the army) King Ohen (drawn by two crocodiles into the realm of the god Olokun), the messenger of the king of Ife (who had to agree to the election of a new Oba of Benin) and two Portuguese. Text: Dietmar Neitzke.