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.
Eben-Zeremonialschwert
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Eisenschmiedegilde Igun Ematon / Königreich Benin (?), Nigeria,
19. Jh. (?) / Eisen / Ankauf von John Lembcke, 1901, Inv. Nr. C 2903
Verschiedenste Herrscher benachbarter Königtümer des Benin-Reiches verwenden EbenZeremonialschwerter als königliche Insignie. Unterschiedliche stilistische Ausformungen geben nicht unbedingt Aufschluss über die regionale Herkunft. Diese lässt sich daher ohne detaillierte Dokumentation nicht mehr eindeutig feststellen.
Label Text (eng)
Eben Ceremonial Sword
Unidentified workshop of the Guild of Blacksmiths Igun Ematon / Benin Kingdom (?), Nigeria, 19th century (?) / Iron / Acquired from John Lembcke, 1901, Inv. no. C 2903
Several rulers of neighbouring kingdoms of the Benin Empire use Eben ceremonial swords as regalia and to denote their status. Their different styles do not necessarily allow a concrete attribution to a specific region. Without detailed documentation, the exact origin can no longer be determined.