Double Bell (Ẹgogo)
1 of 6
Object Label
This is one of the oldest surviving African ivory sculptures; only six of these ivory gongs are known. Double gongs were used by the oba (king) during the Emobo ceremony to drive away evil spirits. The carving here depicts the oba, supported by his military commander and his heir.
Caption
Edo. Double Bell (Ẹgogo), early 16th century. Ivory, 14 1/8 × 3 15/16 × 2 9/16 in. (35.8 × 10 × 6.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Frank L. Babbott Fund, 58.160. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Double Bell (Ẹgogo)
Date
early 16th century
Geography
Place made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Medium
Ivory
Classification
Dimensions
14 1/8 × 3 15/16 × 2 9/16 in. (35.8 × 10 × 6.5 cm)
Inscriptions
Written in black ink on inside of bell: "BENIN. BT. OF MR H. LING ROTH. 1898."; written in red ink on inside of bell: "58.160"
Credit Line
A. Augustus Healy Fund and Frank L. Babbott Fund
Accession Number
58.160
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
How did they discover this?
Many pieces from Benin were acquired by colonial powers, so Britain or France. In later times, people would often travel to collect objects for Museums or to sell in European art markets. After leaving Nigeria this work first belonged to a Doctor in London (from 1897-98) and eventually made its way to the Brooklyn Museum in 1958.The Edo, who currently live in Nigeria and Benin, trace their ancestry to the Kingdom of Benin, which was a powerful state back during the 15th and 16th century.Was there resistance from the local communities about this?In some cases. Many objects did leave after Europeans started their colonies. In other cases, things would be sold by the communities if they were no longer of use.
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