Comments made during appraisal in 1984:
...William Fagg published this object in TribalArt, Christie's London, April 3, 1979, page 34, lot #192 (illustrated). He described the piece as follows:
The small figure is not incomplete but
is a half-figure with original bronze
skin sealing the base. It has the
appearance of a board-game piece (but
is not like the two known Middle-Period
pieces for the War Game--see Fagg and
Plass, 1964, p. 110). It might also be
for use in some form of divination..., =Comments made after 1984:
...To date only two such pieces have been found. One is in the British Museum, the other is in the John Russell Collection. This piece, although bottom is not hemispherical in shape,...is [probably] from the same game set. The bottom of the game is in the Charles Ratton Collection. Piece is 17th century., =Comments made in letter dated June 19, 1991 and PC in 1991:
...do not believe object is a game piece... I have...written to Philip Dark about your [Joss'] Benin game piece...
summary of curatorial notes archival research thus far summer 2021notes