Oskar Meyer (1873-1914) was a Hamburg merchant and locally active in Nigeria and Southern Cameroon, where he presumably ran a plantation in Ebolowa. Meyer, apparently through contacts with a chief, assembled a collection of pieces from the Kingdom of Benin and presumably sold them to various buyers and other intermediaries. In 1902, he sold two Benin objects to the MARKK.
Altarstuhl eines Chiefs Ekete
Unbekannte Holzschnitzerwerkstatt Igbesanmwan / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 18./19. Jh / Holz / Ankauf von Oskar Meyer, 1902, Inv. Nr. C 3348
Zwei gegenläufig ineinander verschlungene Schlangen bilden die Stütze des aus einem Stück geschnitzten Altarstuhls. Die Benutzung derartiger Sitze aus Holz war ein Privileg, das der Oba hohen Würdenträgern zugestand. Sich selbst behielt er elaboriertere Stühle aus Bronze mit reicherer, aber verwandter Symbolik vor.
Label Text (eng)
Altar Stool of a Chief Ekete
Unidentified workshop of the Wood Carvers Guild Igbesanmwan / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 18th/19th century / Wood / Acquired from Oskar Meyer, 1902, Inv. no. C 3348
Two intertwined snakes form the foot of the altar stool carved from one piece. The use of such wooden altar stools was a privilege granted by the Oba to high dignitaries. For himself, the Oba reserved more elaborate stools cast in bronze with richer but related symbolism.