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African & Tribal Art :
Benin : Benin Bronze Cup
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Benin Bronze Cup - PF.4894
Origin: Southcentral Nigeria
Circa: 18
th
Century AD
to 19
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
3" (7.6cm) high
x 4.5" (11.4cm) wide
Collection: African
Style: Benin
Medium: Bronze
$4,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
This charming brass cup was used by a Osun
specialist during Ewawa divination rituals. Osun
is a spiritual power inherent in leaves and herbs.
The diviner/herbalist knows where to find these
plants and the formula for brewing them into
magical and medicinal preparations. For
divination, however, small brass images of
humans, animals, cowries, and other objects are
shaken in the cup and thrown down upon a
drum. The resulting configuration is interpreted
by the diviner related to the client's problem or
request. The delightful face on the cup is
probably a representation of the deity Esu who is
the mediator between diviner and the
supernatural world. Thick lines connecting the
center extension and the lower rim divide the
cup into four sections. Within two of them are
shapes which resemble an abstract conception of
the male sex organs. If the circle symbolizes
woman, then both forces of male and female
energy are brought into play during the act of
divination. What is absolutely certain is the
power and beauty this cup possesses, which
transcends the physical world into the world of
myth and magic.
- (PF.4894)
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