Labels - Markings/3inscriptions A label that reads '1902.439/ Staff of office/ Benin / W.D. Webster, Esq' is adhered to the object, near where the accession number is marked. The label is broken vertically in the middle but still securely adhered.
Amendments - updates/1notes Given Webster's acquisition of much of the spoils of the Benin West Africa 1897 Expedition and the early date of 1902-3, it is likely his personal donation of Benin material was also collected on the 1897 Punitive Expedition This has therefore been added to the source field with queries to indicate the lack of available data for a definite provenance.
The note created during transcription of the catalogue card in 2001 added that it was unclear if 'Edo is the province or language group, and whether Benin refers to the city of Benin'. The Register noted only 'Benin, West Africa'. As the catalogue card was written before the creation of Edo State in 1991, 'Edo' would have referred to the Edo people and has been removed from the place field.
The narrow term 'Benin' has been used within the museum and more widely to refer to the both Benin City as well as the Kingdom of Benin and both terms have therefore been added to the place field in brackets to show the original provenance e.g., 'Benin [?Kingdom of Benin; ?Benin City].
References/0 2bibliography See Royal Art of Benin, Perl Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, pp.196-205, and P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The Art of Benin, The British Museum, 1995, pp.100-103, illustrating handheld clappers, depicting the bird of prophecy, used in Oro festival, (Ugie Oro). The bird's beak is struck by a metal rod. I have therefore added the terms clapper and music with queries.
Related Documents/1bibliography Catalogue card reads, in blue biro: "1902 E 439 | AFRICA | WEST AFRICA / NIGERIA / A STAFF of office: a cylindrical shaft decorated top and bottom with collars of double rope plait and guilloche pattern respectively and surmounted by a bird (?ibis) standing with open wings. (L.12.5") / [Pitt-Rivers 'Benin' Fig No 286 shows a man on a plaque holding a similar staff] / Benin W. Africa / W.D. Webster. | R. 1903 246"
Red circular sticker in bottom right of card.
In January 2017, Prof. Marcos Martinon-Torres and Agnese Benzonelli, UCL Institute of Archaeology, tested this idno using a portable XRF as part of a programme of base metal analysis of Benin material.