Antique Works of Art from Benin: Collected by Lieutenant-General Pitt Rivers — John Shaqi
Antique Works of Art from Benin: Collected by Lieutenant-General Pitt RiversPitt-Rivers, Augustus Henry Lane-Fox
History
Antique Works of Art from Benin: Collected by Lieutenant-General Pitt Rivers
Pitt-Rivers, Augustus Henry Lane-Fox
Art objects -- Nigeria -- Benin City -- Catalogs
Fig. 178.--Ivory trumpet, made of the point of an elephant's tusk.
Mouth-hole on the convex side. The butt end is ornamented with two
snakes in two bands, tails in mouths.
Fig. 179.--Bronze plaque, with five figures; the central figure with
coral choker, badge of rank, coral or agate head-dress with feather,
and sash. Broad leaf-shaped sword upheld in right hand; spear, point
down, in left. Two boys, one with ivory trumpet, the other holding a
brass box nearly similar to Figs. 122 and 123, Plate XXI. These objects
have been described by Messrs. Read and Dalton as drums in their paper
in the "Journ. Anthrop. Inst.," Vol. XXVII, Plate XVIII, Fig. 4. Viewed
as a drum, the projecting flanges at top and bottom are not explained.
Leopard's head on girdle. Attendants carrying shields; quadrangular
bells on necks. The left attendant is holding the same spear as the
central figure, point down, as in Fig. 17, Plate IV. Head-dresses of
attendants with ornaments of cowrie shells. Ground ornamented with
leaf-shaped foil ornaments incised.
Fig. 180.--Bronze plaque, representing the figure of a warrior, with
unusually formed helmet, apparently of metal. Quadrangular bell on neck
and teeth necklace. Shield on right arm, and spear with square cap at
butt end, point downwards, in left hand. The ground is ornamented with
two half-moons and the usual leaf-shaped foil ornaments incised.
Fig. 181.--Bronze plaque, representing three figures, the central one
beating a drum with his fingers, and no drum-sticks. The drum has pegs
with knobs to fasten down the skin, like Fig. 248, Plate XXXII, and
similar to the Jekri drum figured in the "Journ. Anthrop. Inst.," Vol.
I, New Series, Plate VIII, Fig. 5. Quadrangular bell on chest. Both the
side figures hold sistri with two bells, like Figs. 76 to 78, Plate
XII, upheld in their left hands, which they are beating with sticks in
their right hands. This plaque gives a fair idea of the kind of music
used in Benin.
Fig. 182.--Brass oblong box, lid deficient. Lock of European form and
ornamentation. Faces and sides of box ornamented with raised rosettes
and incised floral designs resembling that on Figs. 76 to 78, Plate
XII, Fig. 225, Plate XXX, Fig. 282, Plate XXXVII, and Fig. 306, Plate
XL. It has four legs, and is European in appearance.
Fig. 183.--Wooden head-dress, with carved representations of animals
on top. Said to be from Benin, West Africa. It was brought over from
West Africa with things from Benin. It is similar in character to Figs.
176 and 177, Plate XXVI. It is perhaps Jekri, see a paper by Messrs.
Granville and Ling Roth in the "Journ. Anthrop. Inst." Vol. I, New
Series, Plate VIII, Fig. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXVIII.
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