LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June African & Oceanic Art Auction #645  / 

48102

Benin (Nigeria), Fine Equestrian Figure, Ivory

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Benin (Nigeria), Fine Equestrian Figure, Ivory
<B>Benin (Nigeria)</B></I><BR>Fine Equestrian Figure Topping an Ideophone, circa 16th century<BR>Ivory<BR>Height: 11 ¼ inches Width: 1 5/8 inches Depth: 2 inches<BR><BR>A carefully detailed ivory carving of a male king is riding a diminutive horse that stands on a base whose side shows an endless interlacing knot. Below that is a plain cylindrical section of the tusk divided into two parts by a ribbed encircling device. The king wears a high collar that comes down to cover his shoulders, and a hat with alternating vertical plain and decorated panels and a top-knot. The horse sports a fancy bridle. An item held in the right hand was broken off in the past; otherwise the piece is in good condition, with minor vertical cracks and slight chipping at the open end.<BR><BR>A highly informative letter from Joseph Nevadomsky (26 November 2002), in addition to discussing provenance, writes about this example: "It is an ideophone representing either the Oba of Benin, his rival the Atah of Idah, or perhaps over time signifies both in the sense that it commemorates a particular historical event crucial to the survival of the Benin Kingdom. In any case the object depicted has seen ceremonial use at the palace of the Oba of Benin".<BR><BR>This item is sold with a letter of authentication, provenance, and historical information from Dr. Joseph Nevadomsky.<BR><BR>Provenance: Either the late Chief Edohen or the late Chief Oloton, Benin City;<BR>Dr. Joseph Nevadomsky, collected in Benin City, late 1970s;<BR>Thomas D. Slater, Indianapolis;<BR>Gary Hendershott, Little Rock<BR><BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Large Collectibles (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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