Amendments - updates/0notes 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].
Webster, W.D. (1900). "Catalogue No. 24, of Ethnographical Specimens in Bronze, Wrought Iron, Ivory and Wood, from Benin City, West Africa, taken at the fall of the City in February 1897, by the British Punitive Expeditionunder the command of Admiral Rawson." Illustrated Catalogue of Ethnological Specimens. European and Eastern Arms and Armour. Prehistoric and Other Curiosities, Vol. 4, No. 24.
Illustrated as Plate 15; figs 60-80 '(8786) Bronze leopard, 3 1/4 by 5 3/4 inches. £3.3.0.'
Related Documents/0bibliography Catalogue card reads, in blue biro: "1902 E 454 | AFRICA | WEST AFRICA / NIGERIA / A bronze or brass LEOPARD with collar of bells standing over a stone celt (the latter still an object of awe & superstition to the modern native base broken. / (5.5" x 3") / Benin W Africa / Mr W.D. Webster. | R 1903 268."
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. This object was tested three times, the results are as follows: 1) Cu: 79.10%; Zn: 18.63%; Sn: 0.12%; Pb: 1.56%. 2) Cu: 81.35%; Zn: 15.84%; Sn: 0.14%; Pb: 1.72%. 3) Cu: 81.96%; Zn: 14.97%; Sn: 0.14%; Pb: 1.90%. It was noted the date was hard to tell, with moderate Zn reading but some impurities, it could be pre-1700.