Science Museum
Object Number: A59086
Institution media
1 image
Digital Benin research
Edo designation
Aza
English designation
Bell
Category
Altar & Shrine Objects
Musical Instruments
Provenance
Nevins, Hugh Nevins
Wellcome Collection
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Institution data
Internal Data (eng)Public Data (eng)
Science Museum
This object is part of Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum Collection, which comprises over 117,000 items relating to medical history and the history of science, which have been on long-term loan to the Science Museum from the Wellcome Trust since the 1970s. Current Science Museum records for items in Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum Collection are, where possible, supplemented for Digital Benin with additional historic data from Wellcome Collection’s archives.
Last Updated: 2021-11-23
Language: English
Object NumberObject ID
A59086
Collection Online TitleDesignation
Iron bell or aza
Object NameDesignation
bell - idiophone
DescriptionDescription
Iron bell or aza with knife-shaped handle, probably ritualistic in function, Benin, West Africa, 1880-1920
Description of object/0Description
BELL Iron, single, 13¼" long, surmounted by representation of knife, probably at one time a sacrificial knife. Benin. As sketch.
Description of object/1Description
Description of object/2Description
MaterialsMaterial
iron
MeasurementsDimensions
length 340 mm; width 27 mm; height 25 mm
Date MadeDate Made
1880-1920
Credit LinePrior Source
Nevins, H.
Auction HouseProvenance
Bought of / Acquisition/0Provenance
Mr. H. Nevins, District Officer for Benin Division, 1927
Bought of / Acquisition/1Provenance
Bought of / Acquisition/2Provenance
ProvenanceProvenance
Purchased by Sir Henry Wellcome's museum collection from Hugh Nevins, 1927
Acquisition Date/0Accession Date
31.12.1927
Dispersal NotesNotes
Legal StatusLegal Status
LOAN: WELLCOME TRUST
Digitised image direct link/0Images
wellcomecollection.org/works/sygk2cpp/items?sierraId=b19622235&canvas=190
Digitised image direct link/1Images
Digitised image direct link/2Images
Accession Number
A59086
Additional notes on flimsy/0
Ref: "Voice of Africa" Frobenius, Vol.I.Page 247.
Lot No.
New Registration (R Year) Number
Old Registration Number
Recipient
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection (Science Museum loan)
Recipient Catalogue Record
collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co103682/iron-bell-or-aza-with-knife-shaped-handle-probabl-bell-idiophone
Wellcome archive reference/0
WA/HMM/CM/Inv/A.82
Wellcome archive reference/1
Wellcome archive reference/2
Wellcome numbering
10127/1936