Catalogue
Object Number
A59218
Institution
Science Museum
Edo designations
English designations
Celt (Thunderbolt/Thunderaxe)
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Location
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD

Provenance

3 events
Unknown
1921 to 1927
The object is known to have come into contact with Hugh Nevins Nevins, in Benin City.
Purchase
1927
The object was purchased by the Wellcome Collection and London Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine from Hugh Nevins Nevins with its destination in London.
Loan
1970s to unknown
The object was loaned by London Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, the Wellcome Collection and Wellcome Trust to the Science Museum in London.

Institution data

Science Museum
This object is part of Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum Collection, which comprises over 117,000 items relating to medical history and the history of science, which have been on long-term loan to the Science Museum from the Wellcome Trust since the 1970s. Current Science Museum records for items in Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum Collection are, where possible, supplemented for Digital Benin with additional historic data from Wellcome Collection’s archives.
Last updated: 2021-11-23
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Object Number
object id
A59218
Collection Online Title
designation
Stone axe head
Object Name
designation
axe-head
Description
description
Axe head, stone, used in Benin, Nigeria, c. 1700 to c. 1900
Description of object/0
description
<s>[AMULET]</s> (AXEHEAD) name UGHAVAN Stone, light brown, tapering to butt. 3" X 2" cutting edge chipped. Believed by the s to be a Thunderbolt, and is used on the altar of the Thunder God Shango. Benin.
Description of object/1
description
Axehead (UGHAVAN). Stone, light brown, tapering to butt. Cutting edge chipped. 3&quot; x 2&quot;. For description of use see R9390/1936. Benin, Southern Nigeria.
Description of object/2
description
Materials
material
stone
Measurements
dimensions
length 70 mm; height 28 mm; width 51 mm
Date Made
date made
1700-1900
Credit Line
prior source
Nevins, H.
Auction House
provenance
Bought of / Acquisition/0
provenance
Mr. H. Nevins, District Officer Benin Division, 1927
Bought of / Acquisition/1
provenance
Bought of / Acquisition/2
provenance
Provenance
provenance
Purchased by Sir Henry Wellcome's museum collection from Hugh Nevins, 1927
Acquisition Date/0
accession date
31.12.1927
Dispersal Notes
notes
Legal Status
legal status
LOAN: WELLCOME TRUST
Digitised image direct link/0
images
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/sygk2cpp/items?sierraId=b19622235&canvas=319
Digitised image direct link/1
images
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/eqjnvqgx/items?sierraId=b18759142&canvas=14
Digitised image direct link/2
images
Accession Number
A59218
Additional notes on flimsy/0
[Stamp] WHMM ACCESSION DEPARTMENT Received 31 <s>[29]</s> AUG 1936 Accn. No R9416/1936 See no. 59240
Lot No.
New Registration (R Year) Number
R9416/1936
Old Registration Number
Recipient
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection (Science Museum loan)
Recipient Catalogue Record
https://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co103685/axe-head-stone-used-in-benin-nigeria-c-1700-t-axe-head
Wellcome archive reference/0
WA/HMM/CM/Inv/A.82
Wellcome archive reference/1
WA/HMM/CM/Acc/32
Wellcome archive reference/2
Wellcome numbering
9416/1936
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

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