Object Details
- Benin kingdom court style
- Edo artist
- Label Text
- This cast copper-alloy bracelet or cuff is distinguished by gilding, a decorative technique that is rare in Benin court arts and limited mostly to small objects such as pendants, bells, bracelets and hip masks. While cylindrical bracelets in ivory were reserved for the king or oba, those made of metal would have been worn by a lower-ranking chiefs when attending palace and public events. However, the presence of gilding on this example would likely have distinguished the wearer as a sub-chief of considerable importance.
- The motifs adorning this bracelet have a distinctly local symbolic value, despite the depictions of Portuguese heads that alternate with representations of intertwined mudfish. Both are Edo symbols associated with Olokun who, in the Edo pantheon, is the eldest son of the creator god Osanobua. Olokun resides in a watery realm and is associated with wealth and fertility; the oba or king is his human counterpart and a mediator between the secular and the sacred. In a 1990 publication, art historian Kathy Curnow noted that the Portuguese, who traveled by sea and brought wealth in the form of luxury trade goods, were "a logical extension of the traditional belief system" surrounding Olokun, "the oba's spiritual counterpart who possessed and distributed riches." When rendered on plaques, bracelets, pendants and tusks, the Portuguese are usually identified by their long hair and sixteenth-century European garb, including a rounded helmet or a tall brimmed hat.
- The mudfish also depicted on this bracelet is associated with power and the watery realm of Olokun. In a 1987 publication, art historian Bryna Freyer noted that, depending on the species, a mudfish can deliver an electrical charge, walk on dry land, or survive long periods of drought by burrowing into the muddy banks of streams and rivers. It serves as an appropriate symbol for the protective, aggressive and transformative powers of the king. Freyer also noted that in juxtaposing mudfish and Portuguese imagery on plaques, armlets and pendants, Edo brasscasters employed a similar visual vocabulary in rendering the barbels, fins and tails of the fish and the mustaches, beards and hairstyles of the Portuguese, furthering strengthening their related functions as symbols relating to Olokun.
- Description
- Cylindrical cuff bracelet with alternating relief images of Portuguese heads and paired opposing mudfish heads. The ends are edged in a cord design. Overall traces of gilding.
- Provenance
- James Hooper, England, ca. 1897
- Hooper estate, sold 1976
- Paul and Ruth Tishman, New York, ca. 1976 to 1984
- Walt Disney World, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, 1984-2005
- Exhibition History
- Currents: Water in African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 2016-ongoing (deinstalled November 22, 2021)
- Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th & 17th Centuries, National Museum of African Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 23-September 16, 2007; Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles
- For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1981
- Published References
- Levenson, Jay A. (ed). 2007. Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th & 17th Centuries. Washington, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, p. 162, no. A-15.
- Vogel, Susan (ed). 1981. For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 130, no. 73.
- 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
- Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company
- 17th-18th century
- Object number
- 2005-6-79
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Jewelry
- Medium
- Copper alloy, gilt traces
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 13.3 × 9.5 × 8.9 cm (5 1/4 × 3 3/4 × 3 1/2 in.)
- Geography
- Nigeria
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Leadership
- Status
- Adornment
- foreigner
- Male use
- mudfish
- Power
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_2005-6-79
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7e0944cc6-bce7-4c07-bf9f-30166f5af04a
