Objektnummer
B06705
Edo designations
English designations
Relief Plaque
Categories
Palace Architecture & Ornamentation
Location
Bahnhofspl. 13, 28195 Bremen, Germany
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Iconographies

2 annotations
Water fern
Ebe Amẹ
Water Fern

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

1 annotation
Ebe Amẹ
Ehẹn
Fish

Ehẹn is a general term used to describe various types of fish (Ọbazee 2025, p. 90; ). Although mudfish are one of the most common motifs in Benin art, other kinds of fish are also represented. According to Blackmun ( ), a greater variety of fish are represented on the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) than on other types of royal artefacts. According to Kathy Curnow ( ), fish appear on 70 Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), making them the most commonly represented animal. Despite their prevalence, the precise species of fish are not easy to identify due to their “generic renderings”, possibly indicating that artists did not always distinguish between specific varieties ( ). Fish are represented on the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn both in profile and from above.

1 annotation
Ehẹn

Provenance

4 events
Production
1504 (approximate) to 1550 (approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn 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.
Unknown
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to March 30, 1908
The object is known to have come into contact with Carl Heinrich Becker.
Purchase
March 8, 1908
The object was purchased by the Übersee-Museum Bremen from Carl Heinrich Becker with its destination in Bremen.

Related archival documents

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Institution data

Übersee-Museum Bremen
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2021-06-01
Language: german
Institution fieldValue
Objektnummer
object id
B06705
Objektname
designation
object type
Platte Wels Fragment
Beschreibung
description
Bruchstück einer Platte aus der sich leicht plastisch die Darstellung eines Welses erhebt. Der hintere Teil des Fisches fehlt, die Platte hat Bruchkanten.
Material
material
Messing
Maße
dimensions
Allgemein: 2,5 × 18 × 25,5 cm
Datierung
date made
before 1908
Ort
production place
Staat
production place
Nigeria
Geber
prior source
provenance
Carl Heinr. Becker
Sammler
prior source
provenance
Vorbesitzer
prior source
provenance
Kultur/Ethnie
ethnic attribution
Benin
Sammlung
department and institution
E00776
Erwerbsdatum
accession date
1908-03-30
Erwerbsart
accession method
Kauf
Sensitive Content

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