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Two ivory bracelets carved with heads and other designs.
Edo 'kings' or Obas wore ivory armlets and bracelets at ceremonies. This armlet is decorated with the carved heads of Portuguese traders with long noses, flowing hair and beards, which probably signalled the Oba's access to foreign sources of wealth and power. Like brass and coral, ivory does not decay easily in the tropical environment and so was used in Edo royal regalia to emphasise the permanence and continuity of the ruling dynasty.
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The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive.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.
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