William Downing Webster (1868-1913) was a well-known British ethnographica dealer from whom almost all major ethnographic collections in Great Britain and continental Europe acquired Benin pieces. In addition to a donation, the MARKK’s Benin collection today contains twelve objects that were purchased from Webster in 1900/1901.
Holzschachtel
in Form eines Welses
Unbekannter Omada-Künstler / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 19. Jh. / Holz / Ankauf von W. D. Webster, 1900, Inv. Nr. C 2876
John Lembcke, ein Agent der Handelsfirma L. Pagenstecher & Co., der selbst um 1900 Benin City besucht hatte und dem Museum eine Reihe von Objekten verkaufte, wies Kurator Hagen 1902 darauf hin, dass in dieser Schachtel Kolanüsse aufbewahrt wurden. Diese seien ein „Symbol des Friedens“ und das Teilen einer Kolanuss und der gemeinsame Verzehr „ein untrüglicher Beweis der friedlichen Gesinnung“.
Label Text (eng)
Mudfish Box
Unidentified Omada artist / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 19th century / Wood / Acquired from
W. D. Webster, 1900, Inv. no. C 2876
John Lembcke, an agent of the L. Pagenstecher & Co. trading company, visited Benin City himself around 1900 and sold a number of objects to the museum. In 1902, he pointed out to curator Hagen that this box was used to keep kola nuts. He added that they were a “symbol of peace”. Sharing a kola nut and consuming it together was an “unmistakable proof of a peaceful disposition”.