ID
222226
Edo designations
English designations
Male Figure
Categories
Figures
Location
1 Adesogbe (Plymouth) Road, P.M.B. 1115, Benin City , Edo State
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Male Figure
Male Figure

Iconographies

1 annotations
Fan
Ẹzuzu
Hand fan

Ẹzuzu (round hand fans) are usually carried by attendants to the Ọba or Iy’Ọba. On the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), male attendants to the Ọba carry fans, whereas on Urhotọ (altar tableaux), female attendants carrying fans are depicted flanking the Iy’Ọba. Ẹzuzu connote the status of both the person being fanned and the holder, who is usually an attendant fanning the superior Ọba or Iy’Ọba. Usually, male attendants—members of the Emada—would be represented with the Ọba, while young women would attend to the Iy’Ọba. Ẹzuzu have an important function in cooling; however, the wafting of the fans can also calm spiritual energy, thus making the fan a symbol of peace ( ).

A further symbolic use for the Ẹzuzu includes blowing medicine across the surface of a fan and using mirrored fans by ritual specialists to make predictions about the future ( ). The symbolic importance of fans in Edo belief is reflected in their use as one of a small group of inanimate objects that are the focal subjects of some Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn.

1 annotation
Ẹzuzu

Provenance

5 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day 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 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin - February 1897 from Benin Kingdom.
Unknown
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to 1910
The object is known to have come into contact with Röhwer.
Purchase
1910
The object was purchased by the Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin from Röhwer with its destination in Berlin.
Restitution
August 25, 2022
The object was restituted by the Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin to the Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ọba of Benin & National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria through Hermann Parzinger and Abba Isa Tijani from Berlin to Nigeria.

Related archival documents

1 documents
See all
Museum Catalogue
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Die Altertümer von Benin
Date
January 1, 1919 at 12:00:00 AM

Institution data

Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2021-06-14
Language: german
Institution fieldValue
ID
object id
222226
Sachbegriff
designation
Sachbegriff: Weibliche Plastik
Titel
designation
Objektref.
description
E 2051/1910, Erwerbung: III/68/1910: III C 26394-2396, Ethnogr., Bronzefiguren (Westafrika, Benin), Ankauf Röhwer, 1910, Röhwer (1910)
Texte Online
description
Online Beschreibung, [Benin_Königreich]
Material / Technik
material
Material: Bronze; Material: Messing; Ausgabe: Bronze
Material / Technik // Alle
material
Bronze, Bronze, Messing
Maße
dimensions
20,50 x 8,00 x 5,50 cm; 0,70 kg
Objekttyp
object type
Allgemein
Sachbegr. Ausgabe
object type
Weibliche Plastik
Anzahl Teile
object count
1
Datierung
date made
19. Jh. - 20. Jh.
Geogr. Bezüge
production place
Nigeria ( Land/Region ); Benin (?) ( Königreich )
Geogr. Bezüge // Alle
production place
Benin (?), Nigeria
Beteiligte
prior source
Röhwer (1910), Sammler
Beteiligte // (Name, Sortierung=kleinste)
prior source
Röhwer
Veräußerer
prior source
null
Erwerb. Notiz
provenance
Notiz: Rückführung Leipzig; Ausgabe: 19. Jh. - 20- Jh., Auftragsarbeit im Königreich Benin, möglicherweise in dem Interregnum nach1897; wenn vor 1897 geschaffen, vermutlich geplündert im Zusammenhang mit der britischen Eroberung von Benin, 1897; in unbekanntem Besitz vor 1910; erworben von Herr(?) Röhwer, 1910.
Verw. Institution
department and institution
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Erwerb. Datum
accession date
1910
Besitzart
accession method
Erwerbungsart
accession method
Ankauf
Digital Assets
images
III C 26394.jpg, Repro Digitalisat; III C 26394 -A.jpg, Repro Digitalisat
Erwerb. Nr.
III/68/1910
Ident. Nr.
III C 26394
Ident. Nr. // (Sortiernr.)
0003 C 26394
Obj. Status
vorhanden
Sensitive Content

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