British Museum
Registration Number: Af1932,1205.2
Institution media
1 Images
Digital Benin research
Edo designation
Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ
English designation
Pendant Mask
Wax Model
Category
Casting Materials
Provenance
Alfred Holt and Company
Maddocks, Harry
Powell-Cotton, Percy Horace Gordon
LocationGreat Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Institution data
Internal Data (eng)
British Museum
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last Updated: 2022-08-04
Language: english
Registration Numberobject id
Af1932,1205.2
Object Name - Commentdesignation
Object Name - Object Namedesignation
mask-mould
Titledesignation
Title translationdesignation
Title typedesignation
Object History Note / Acquisition Notedescription, provenance, notes
Physical descriptiondescription
Mould; made of fired clay, modelled in wax on front in form of human face. Part of lost-wax casting series showing manufacture of pendant mask.
Materialmaterial
wax~fired clay
Material - Commentmaterial
Dimensiondimensions
H~W~X
Dimension commentdimensions
~~
Dimension measurement unitdimensions
cm~cm~cm
Dimension notedimensions
Dimension valuedimensions
20.50~14.00~7.00
Dimension value enddimensions
~~
Inscription - Noteinscriptions
Inscription - Quotedinscriptions
Inscription languageinscriptions
Inscription positioninscriptions
Inscription translationinscriptions
Inscription typeinscriptions
Production datedate made
1931-1932
Production date - Commentdate made
Producer/Artist - Associationproducer
Producer/Artist - Nameproducer
Techniqueproduction technique
hand-modelled
Technique - Commentproduction technique
Production placeproduction place
Benin City
Production place - Associationproduction place
Production place - Commentproduction place
Production place - Site detailsproduction place
Previous owner - Associationprior source
Previous owner - Commentprior source
Previous owner - Nameprior source
Acquisition Funding Source Nameprovenance
Acquisition Funding Source Name Associationprovenance
Acquisition Funding Source Name Commentprovenance
Acquisition Nameprovenance
Powell-Cotton, Percy Horace Gordon
Acquisition Name Associationprovenance
Acquisition Name Commentprovenance
Excavation/Field Collection Noteprovenance
Major Percy Powell-Cotton travelled to Benin City at the start of his second expeditionto Cameroon in January 1931. While there he visited the brass casters and filmed the process of lost-wax casting. It appears that Major Powell-Cotton subsequently commissioned two series of lost-wax castings via the shipping agents Holt's (possibly through Holt's agent, Harry Maddocks, who was based in Benin City). This set Af1932,1205.1-7 was donated to the Museum in 1932; the other set (acc.nos. ETH CAM2.955-971) remains at the Powell-Cotton Museum in Birchington-on-Sea, Kent.
Excavator/Field collector - Associationprovenance
FC
Excavator/Field collector - Nameprovenance
Powell-Cotton, Percy Horace Gordon
Associated event - Associationevent
Associated event - Eventevent
Associated placeplace collected
Associated place - Associationplace collected
Findspot - Associationplace collected
Findspot - Commentplace collected
Findspot - Placeplace collected
Benin City
Findspot - Site detailsplace collected
Associated name - Associationreign associated name
Associated name - Commentreign associated name
Associated name - Namereign associated name
Associated ethnic name - Associationethnic attribution
Associated ethnic name - Ethnic Nameethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Associationethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Commentethnic attribution
Production ethnic name - Ethnic Nameethnic attribution
Edo
Responsible departmentdepartment and institution
Commentnotes
This mould with wax modelling is part of series showing process of lost-wax casting. See Collection File: Af1932,1205.1-7.
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Pastexhibition history
Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 1991 Feb-Apr, Norwich, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Man and Metal in Ancient Nigeria
Bibliographic reference - Citationbibliography
Bibliographic reference - Commentbibliography
Bibliographic reference - Referencebibliography
Conditioncondition
Fair; section of wax modelling missing at top left proper of flange. Mudfish missing from right proper on flange; head of mudfish missing from one mudfish. Some repairs to wax elements on headdress.
BM/Big No - Number
BM/Big No - Prefix
BM/Big No - item
Collection
DAMS Asset - Number
1613696927
Other number
Other number - Comment
Other number type
PRN
School/Style
Subject - Comment
Subject - Subject
calc acquisition link.spec acquisition date text
1932