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.
Manilla (?)
Unbekannte Gießerwerkstatt, Küstenregion Nigeria, 17.–19. Jh. (?) / Gelbguss / Ankauf von Friedrich Erdmann, 1898, Inv. Nr. C 2307
Von Manillas abgeleitete Reifen, wie dieses 890 g schwere Beispiel, finden sich in einigen musealen Benin-Sammlungen. Sie gehören nicht zur höfischen Kunst, sondern sind bei verschiedenen Gruppen der Küstenbevölkerung dokumentiert, die über Jahrhunderte Handel mit Europäern betrieben. Die Reifen hatten großen Wert als Prestigegegenstand und besaßen spirituelle Kraft. Vielerorts wurden sie auf Altären aufbewahrt. Die exakte Herkunft lässt sich nicht mehr erschließen.
Label Text (eng)
Manilla (?)
Unidentified casting workshop, coastal region, Nigeria, 17th-19th century (?) / Brass / Acquired from Friedrich Erdmann, 1898, Inv. no. C 2307
Manilla-inspired rings, like this 890g heavy example, can be found in several Benin museum collections. They are not part of court art, but are documented among various coastal populations that traded with Europeans for centuries. The rings had great value as prestige objects. They possessed spiritual power and were therefore often kept on altars. The exact origin can no longer be determined.