Container · Gabon, Fang · ID: 3053070
Starting price
EUR 2,000
Estimated price
EUR 4,000
Provenance
Manfred Ritter, Reutlingen, GermanySize
H: 14,5 cm
H: 5.7 inch
Description
copper alloy (bronze, brass) sheets and tacks, lizard skin,
For a comparable object, see AHDRC 0160355.
Often referred to as gunpowder containers, according to Tessmann these were not used to store gunpowder, but bullets. The comparatively large diameter of the opening supports this assumption, as it would be impractical for loading a firearm.
The use of reptile skin points to a clear context of war or power, as is also known from richly decorated sword sheaths and other ceremonial weapon objects of the Fang. Such materials are characteristic of personal prestige objects of high-ranking individuals and combine functional forms with symbolic meaning.
Comparing literature
Tessmann, Günter, Die Pangwe, Bd. 2, Berlin 1913, p. 244, ill. c