A bronze bell - Edo - Nigeria (No reserve price)

Edo Bronze Bell - Benin City, Nigeria The compact metal bell has a tall, nearly cylindrical body, capped by a domed shoulder and a sturdy handle. While the central wall remains largely unadorned, the decoration is concentrated on the base and dome: closely spaced parallel grooves, geometric panels, and narrow bands with spiral motifs articulate the surface. The dark brown, reddish patina and greenish corrosion marks lend the casting a multifaceted materiality. The interplay between calm surfaces and densely ornamented zones underscores the monumental effect of this small object. In the historical Kingdom of Benin, cast brass and bronze bells were part of the sacred furnishings of the Edo court. So-called ẹroro altar bells, in particular, were placed on ancestral altars and rung to draw the attention of the deceased to prayers and offerings. Benin City's renowned metalwork was produced by specialized foundrymen using the lost-wax casting process and was closely linked to the court, royalty, and ancestor worship. The unusually rounded shape of the present piece, however, deviates from the more common square ẹroro; its precise ritual function should therefore remain uncertain without a confirmed provenance. Literature (selection): Paula Ben-Amos: The Art of Benin. London 1980. Philip J. C. Dark: An Introduction to Benin Art and Technology. Oxford 1973. Kathleen Bickford Berzock: Benin: Royal Arts of a West African Kingdom. Chicago 2008. Some of the information and photos are generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history documents. All information and photos are protected by copyright. Inv. No. MAZ23129

Estimate:$224.08

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