Friedrich Erdmann (1866-presumably 1907) was a merchant from Hamburg and worked as a managing director for the trading company Bey & Zimmer in Lagos, Warri and Sapele in southern Nigeria. Erdmann is known to have visited Benin City after it was conquered by British troops, taking the artefacts that remained there to sell with the permission of the British military, as well as photographing the area. Erdmann was one of the key figures in Bey’s Benin business, selling a total of 13 objects from the Kingdom of Benin to the museum in 1898. His widow, Alma, corresponded with Felix von Luschan (1854–1924) in Berlin, and later sold objects from her husband’s collection. His son Kurt (1901–1964) was an art historian; he also sold pieces from his father’s estate.
Gedenkkopf eines Königs
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria 16. Jh. / Gelbguss / Übernahme vom Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, 2021, Inv. Nr. 2021.22:3
Der Königskopf hat eine besondere historische Bedeutung: Er wurde kurz nach der Zerstörung der Königsstadt Benin 1897 von Justus Brinckmann, dem damaligen Direktor des Hamburger Museums für Kunst und Gewerbe, gemeinsam mit drei weiteren als erste Benin-Werke im deutschsprachigen Raum erworben.
Die Vorstellung des Kopfes bei einer Fachtagung in Lübeck
im November 1897 löste euphorisches Interesse aus und markierte den Beginn der regen Sammeltätigkeit von deutschen Museen.
Label Text (eng)
Commemorative Head of a King
Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria 16th century / Brass / Transfer from the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, 2021, Inv. no. 2021.22:3
The king’s head has a special historical significance: acquired shortly after the destruction of the royal city of Benin in 1897 by Justus Brinckmann, then director of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, it became one of the first Benin acquisitions in
the German-speaking countries, together with three other works.
The presentation of the head at a conference in Lübeck in November 1897 triggered euphoric interest and marked the
beginning of intense collecting activities by German museums.