Lid of a box · Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin, Edo · ID: 3037878
Hans Himmelheber, Heidelberg, Germany (1934)
Boris Kegel-Konietzko, Hamburg, Germany
Ludwig Bretschneider, Munich, Germany
Description
ivory, of slender rectangular form with rounded corners, carved with two human figures, a snake and a leopard, collection number “Be5” at the back, min. dam., cracks through age (esp. at the back), small missing parts, base;
such objects were reserved for kings and high-ranking persons. They served for keeping kola nuts which were offered to visitors during ceremonies.
The leopard symbolizes the total harmony between two forces: menace and temperance, attributes an ideal leader (“oba”) should have. Like the “oba”, the leopard has the privilege of a leader, the “right to kill” so he stands above life.
L’objet Lid of a box avec l’ID d’objet 3037878 a fait partie de la vente aux enchères 78th tribal art auction dans 18 octobre 2014. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 276 a atteint un prix de vente de 3 300 € pour un prix d’adjudication de 2 500 €.
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Littérature comparée
Arts primitifs, Collection Vérité, Paris 2006, p. 182, ill. 174 Duchateau, Armand, Benin, München, New York 1995, p. 101, ill. 105 (similar motif)