carving (art); staff of office

The ownership of this object was transferred to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in November 2022.

An ivory staff of office/sceptre, depicting an Oba (king). Benin City. 16th century. The figure is depicted holding a double gong/sistrum in his right hand, a beater in his left, and wearing bands of coral necklaces, and a (likely) coral headpiece. The figure's face is heavily worn. Made by Igbesanmwan guildmembers (ivory and wood carvers).

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
3475a
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 304 mm x 45 mm x 43 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
ivory
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Featured

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk