John Lembcke (1873-?) originally came from Mecklenburg and was a Hamburg merchant. He worked as an agent for the trading company L. Pagenstecher & Co. in southern Nigeria. The company maintained several branches in Cameroon and Nigeria and traded raw rubber, among other things.Lembcke was probably employed at a branch of the firm in Warri, from where he went to nearby Benin City. There, he found objects which he eventually brought to Hamburg. Between 1899 and 1905, he sold 40 objects from the Kingdom of Benin to the museum.
Fragment einer Reliefplatte: Kriegsherr mit Schild und Speer
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 16./17. Jh. / Gelbguss / Ankauf von John Lembcke, 1899, Inv. Nr. C 2384
Das prächtige Lederhemd mit Glöckchen, seine Waffen und vor allem das Halsband mit Leopardenzähnen weisen den Dargestellten als hochrangigen Heerführer aus. Das Halsband überträgt die Kraft des Raubtiers auf den militärischen Führer, hat eine Schutzfunktion und ist zugleich Symbol der Macht über Leben und Tod, die der Oba an ihn delegiert hat.
Label Text (eng)
Relief Plaque (Fragment): Warrior Chief with Shield and Spear
Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 16th/17th century / Brass / Acquired from John Lembcke, 1899, Inv. no. C 2384
The magnificent leather shirt with bells, his weapons, and especially the leopard teeth necklace identify the represented person as a high-ranking military leader. The necklace transmits the power of the leopard to the military leader, has a protective function, and at the same time signifies the power over life and death that the Oba has delegated to him.