Object Details
- Lower Niger Bronze Industry
- Label Text
- Cast by the lost-wax method, this bell is attributed by scholars to the "Lower Niger Bronze Industry" style, an interim designation coined by William Fagg in 1959. Archeological discoveries may one day provide more conclusive information about the object's origin. It may have been part of a shrine's paraphernalia, and its motifs may symbolize physical aggression and supernatural powers.
- Description
- Cast copper alloy conical bell with human face in high relief and a loop on top.
- Provenance
- Philippe Guimiot, Paris, 1974
- Emile M. Deletaille, Brussels, 1974 to 1985
- Exhibition History
- Ways of the River: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta, Fowler Museum of Cultural History at University of California, Los Angeles, April 18-November 17, 2002
- Published References
- Anderson, Martha G. and Philip M. Peek (eds). 2002. Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, p. 43, no. 1.9.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- 17th-19th century
- Object number
- 85-1-7
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 15.1 x 7.5 x 7.4 cm (5 15/16 x 2 15/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
- Geography
- Nigeria
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Shrine/Altar
- Human
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_85-1-7
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys74eaf9862-3660-4017-9648-a9085adf8ed3
