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.
Reliefplatte mit vier Welsen
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 16./17. Jh. / Gelbguss / Ankauf von John Lembcke, 1899, Inv. Nr. C 2387
Fische sind in der Benin-Kunst häufig abgebildet. Sie unterstreichen die Verbindung zwischen dem Meeresgott Olokun und seinem irdischen Pendant, dem Oba. Die Edo unterscheiden mehrere Welsarten. Zitterwelse werden Olokun geopfert und mitunter an seinem Schrein in Töpfen lebendig aufbewahrt.
Die Reliefs waren möglicherweise horizontal und vertikal an einem Olokun-Schrein angebracht.
Label Text (eng)
Relief Plaque with Four Mudfish
Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 16th/17th century / Brass / Acquired from John Lembcke, 1899, Inv. no. C 2387
Fish are recurrently depicted in Benin art. They emphasize the connection between the sea god Olokun and his earthly counterpart, the Oba. The Edo people distinguish several species of mudfish. Electric catfish are sacrificed to Olokun and sometimes kept alive in pots at his shrine. These reliefs were possibly arranged horizontally and vertically at an Olokun shrine.