Identifikationsnummer: C 3826
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Institution data
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MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt
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Last Updated: 2022-06-10
Language: German, English
IdentifikationsnummerObject ID
C 3826
TitelDesignation
Hüftanhänger mit Elefantenkopf
MaterialienMaterial
ANORGANISCH/Metall/Gelbguß
Heutiges Staatsgebiet des HerstellungsortesProduction Place
Afrika/Westafrika/Nigeria/Benin-Reich
Provenienz/NamePrior Source, Provenance
Bey
Provenienz Objektitinerar Akteure Orte DatenProvenance
Heinrich Bey & Co.
Provenienz/AffiliationProvenance
H. Bey & Co.
Provenienz/CountryProvenance
Germany
Provenienz/Date of BirthProvenance
around 1846
Provenienz/Date of DeathProvenance
14.04.1906
Provenienz/First NameProvenance
Heinrich
Provenienz/NoProvenance
2
Provenienz/Place of BirthProvenance
Hamburg
Provenienz/Place of DeathProvenance
Hamburg
Provenienz/ProfessionProvenance
Merchant
Provenienz/Role-Function/0Provenance
Consignor
Provenienz/Role-Function/1Provenance
Intermediary
Provenienz/SexProvenance
male
Provenienz/Short BiographyProvenance
Heinrich Bey (c. 1846-1906) was a Hamburg merchant and owner of the export and import company “H. Bey & Co.”, as well as the subsidiary “Bey & Zimmer”. Both of which had branches in West Africa, from where so-called ‘colonial goods’ and commodities (e.g. palm hearts) were transported to Hamburg. The company, which at the time had its headquarters in Große Bäckerstraße (Hamburg’s historic district), played a central role in importing work of art from the Kingdom of Benin to Europe. After Bey’s death, his widow consigned two more pieces from her late husband’s estate in 1928. Heinrich Bey only sold one object from the Kingdom of Benin to the museum in 1903.
Provenienz/StreetProvenance
Große Bäckerstraße 24
Provenienz/TownProvenance
Hamburg
Hersteller kulturhist. HerkunftsgesellschaftEthnic Attribution
--/Edo
Heutiger Aufbewahrungsort SammlungDepartment and Institution
Museum am Rothenbaum. Kulturen und Künste der Welt (MARKK)
AkquisitionsdatumAccession Date
1903
Hüftanhänger mit Elefantenkopf
Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 17./18. Jh. / Gelbguss / Ankauf von Heinrich Bey & Co., 1903, Inv. Nr. C 3826
In welchem Zusammenhang und von wem solche seltenen Elefantenmasken getragen wurden, ist nicht mehr bekannt. Wegen ihrer Größe und Stärke stehen Elefanten für hohen sozialen Rang und wegen des teuren Elfenbeins für Reichtum. In der Kunst, in Sprichwörtern oder Geschichten symbolisieren die Tiere einflussreiche Stadt-Chiefs, die in einem andauernden Machtkampf mit dem König standen.
Dessen Symboltier, der Leopard, kämpft gegen den Elefanten um die Vorherrschaft.
Hip Pendant:
Head of an Elephant
Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 17th/18th century / Brass / Acquired from Heinrich Bey & Co., 1903, Inv. no. C 3826
It is no longer known in which context and by whom such rare elephant masks were worn. Because of their size and strength, elephants are associated with high social rank and, due to the commercial value of ivory, with wealth. In Benin works of art, proverbs or stories, elephants represent influential town chiefs that stood in a continuous power struggle with the king. The leopard, symbolising the king, fights against the elephant for supremacy.