Accession Number
1989.839
Edo designations
English designations
Ceremonial Sword
Categories
Ceremonial Objects
Location
4000 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46208, United States
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Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword
Ceremonial Sword

Provenance

4 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ematon guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by February 1897 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin from Benin Kingdom.
Auction
March 30, 1987
The object was auctioned to Edith Morgan & Harrison Eiteljorg through Sotheby's in London.
Gift
1989
The object was given as a gift by Edith Morgan & Harrison Eiteljorg to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in Indianapolis.

Institution data

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2021-04-17
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Accession Number
object id
1989.839
Previous Number(s)
object id
TR6937/680 | E87.20
Title
designation
ceremonial sword
Object Label
description
Swords with fan-shaped blades are an important part of Benin ceremonies.  They are carried before a chief in processions and used by him in a dance paying respect to the king.
Materials
material
iron
Medium
material
Dimensions
dimensions
39-1/2 in.
Object Type
object type
swords
Date Created
date made
mid-19th century - early 20th century
Creation Location
production place
Nigeria
Credit Line
prior source
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg
Provenance
provenance
(Sotheby's, London, England) on 30 March 1987 lot 69; Harrison Eiteljorg [1903-1997] of Indianapolis, Indiana; given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in 1989.
Culture or People
ethnic attribution
Benin Kingdom, Edo people
Accession Date
accession date
1990-01-18
Exhbitions
exhibition history
Rights
license
Public Domain
URL
weblink
http://collection.imamuseum.org/artwork/29432/
Number of Parts
1
Support
iron
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here