Provenance

3 events

Production

1500 (approximate) to 1550 (approximate)

The object was produced in Benin City.

Unknown

1826 (approximate) to 1876 (approximate)

The object is known to have come into contact with Augustus William Henry Meyrick.

Purchase

1878

The object was purchased by the British Museum from Augustus William Henry Meyrick with its destination in London.

Institution data

British Museum

The data was transferred directly by the institution.

Last updated: 2022-08-04

Language: english

Institution field	Value
Registration Number object id	Af1878,1101.48.a-c
Object Name - Comment designation
Object Name - Object Name designation	salt-cellar
Title designation	Afro-Portuguese Ivories (Series)~Bini-Portuguese Ivories (Series)
Title translation designation
Title type designation
Object History Note / Acquisition Note description provenance notes
Physical description description	Salt-cellar; made of elephant ivory in three sections. Comprised of two spherical lidded containers divided horizontally across the three sections: base (a); middle section (b) and lid (c). Base and middle section decorated with alternating pairs of standing Portuguese figures with aquiline noses and beards. Static front-facing figures dressed in jackets lined with metal plates (brigandines), jerkins, pleated skirts, decorated stockings, and feathered hats. Carry swords in left hand and spears in right. Wear beaded necklace with cross. Dynamic three-quarter view figures dressed in jackets lined with metal plates (brigandines), jerkins, pleated skirts, decorated stockings, and skull-caps. Carry swords on left side and hold circular shields in right hand. Lid surmounted by European ship with small figure in crow's nest holding megaphone. Twp pierced lugs on lower edge of lid and upper edge of mid section; one pierced lug on upper edge of base and lower edge of mid section, second lug missing.
Material material	elephant ivory
Material - Comment material
Dimension dimensions
Dimension comment dimensions
Dimension measurement unit dimensions
Dimension note dimensions
Dimension value dimensions	Height: 29.30 cm (a-c)~Width: 11.00 cm (a-c)
Dimension value end dimensions
Inscription - Note inscriptions
Inscription - Quoted inscriptions
Inscription language inscriptions
Inscription position inscriptions
Inscription translation inscriptions
Inscription type inscriptions
Production date date made	1525-1600 (circa)
Production date - Comment date made
Producer/Artist - Association producer
Producer/Artist - Name producer
Technique production technique	carved
Technique - Comment production technique
Production place production place	Made in: Nigeria (?)
Production place - Association production place
Production place - Comment production place
Production place - Site details production place
Previous owner - Association prior source
Previous owner - Comment prior source
Previous owner - Name prior source
Acquisition Funding Source Name provenance
Acquisition Funding Source Name Association provenance
Acquisition Funding Source Name Comment provenance
Acquisition Name provenance	Lt-Gen Augustus W H Meyrick
Acquisition Name Association provenance
Acquisition Name Comment provenance
Excavation/Field Collection Note provenance
Excavator/Field collector - Association provenance
Excavator/Field collector - Name provenance
Associated event - Association event
Associated event - Event event
Associated place place collected
Associated place - Association place collected
Findspot - Association place collected
Findspot - Comment place collected
Findspot - Place place collected
Findspot - Site details place collected
Associated name - Association reign associated name
Associated name - Comment reign associated name
Associated name - Name reign associated name
Associated ethnic name - Association ethnic attribution
Associated ethnic name - Ethnic Name ethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Association ethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Comment ethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Ethnic Name ethnic attribution	Edo (?)
Responsible department department and institution
Comment notes	This salt cellar is made of ivory and shows Europeans with long hair, beards and angular noses. Objects of this type were perhaps the first known examples of 'tourist art' from Africa: luxury items made as souvenirs for foreigners. Africans along the continent's west coast first encountered Portuguese traders in the mid-fifteenth century. This marked the beginning of regular contact and trade, and the principal interest of the Europeans at this time was the purchase of carved ivory items. Although ivory carvings were traditionally produced only for the royal court in the city of Benin, the ruling Oba (king) allowed decorated salt cellars, horns, spoons and forks to be made for European visitors. By jstribblehill 09 May 2008
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Past exhibition history
Bibliographic reference - Citation bibliography
Bibliographic reference - Comment bibliography
Bibliographic reference - Reference bibliography	Bassani 2001: Cat. no. 790. p. 300; pl. 40; p. 254~Bassani & Fagg 1988: Cat. no. 114. pp. 160-161, fig. 209; pp. 169-170, fig. 225; pp. 179-180, fig. 243; p. 239~Fagg 1959: pl. 8-11.~Read & Dalton 1899: p. 36; pl. III,1.~Shaw 1836: pl.LXVI
Condition condition
BM/Big No - Number
BM/Big No - Prefix
BM/Big No - item
Collection
DAMS Asset - Number
Other number	Af.7398 ~1383
Other number - Comment
Other number type	in error~ Meyrick Collection number
PRN	EAF96520
School/Style	Afro-Portuguese Style
Subject - Comment
Subject - Subject	boat/ship ~arms/armour ~European
calc acquisition link.spec acquisition date text

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