Rare fan ·  Benin, Fon, Dahomey · ID: 3039679

Description

brass sheet, riveted wooden handle, fan corpus with repoussé decor depicting floral motifs and five animals in circular arrangement, slightly dam., missing parts, fine crack, slightly deformed, old age patina, base;
depicted scenes on bronze plates or casted figural groups show such fans mostly in connection with the royal household of the Queen mother “Iyoba”. Most of the preserved fans consist of cow or antelope skin. The use of brass refers to a usage in direct vicinity to the king himself. Such fans are only preserved in very small numbers.

Comparing literature

Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 310, ill. 56