West Africa, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, first half of 20th century CE. A large and heavy cast bronze bell that is a masterpiece of detail and symbolic iconography. The bell has a flattened, conical shape with both relief and three dimensional elements on its body; above that is a long, hollow yoke/headstock composed of what looks like a towering pyramid of humans capped by a large, seated male figure with enormous eyes. Size: 8.75" L x 12.25" W x 31.5" H (22.2 cm x 31.1 cm x 80 cm)

Benin's best known work, its "bronzes", are usually made of brass that came from Europe in the form of manillas - trade money - and were melted down by Benin artisans to make items like this bell. These artisans came from a class of guildsmen who lived in groups close to royal authority and produced prestige objects like this one for wealthy, often royal patrons. By the early 20th century, this included the occupying British and other Europeans - who were amazed by the high quality of such objects because of their attitudes towards Africa and Africans. Bells were a common class of object made in Benin. The complex iconography here speaks to a vibrant cosmology. Dominating the back of the bell is Anansi, the trickster spider god who is famous from West Africa and former slave cultures in the Caribbean and southern United States. On the front are symmetrical animal symbols: a cow skull, a snake with two heads, two lizards, and two male human figures, each holding weapons, one holding what appears to be a monkey skull. Male heads flank the top of the body of the bell. The yoke/headstock is a pillar of different human faces, all bearded/male, and their spindly bodies grasping their way up it. At the top sits a figure - a shaman? The god Legba? - with enormous eyes and a hairstyle that looks like twin rounded horny projections. He sits with his hands extended and his mouth open, as if about to speak - Legba is the god who stands at the crossroads, communicating between humans and the spirit world. This is an impressive and iconographically dense work of art.

Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Nick Poolos collectiona cquired before 1975

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#118488

Intact, with slight patina overall.