Vol. I · The open image paperWinnipeg · Musée sans mursRecovered · Remembered · Returned
Cleveland Museum of Art148196portrait1800sCC0cma mythology symbols-patterns flora-fauna design-assets objects-with-gravity symbols patterns flora fauna design assets objects with gravity bronze axe handle assyrian ancient mesopotamia carving relief ornament artifact metalwork dark bronze grey geometric symbolic warrior bird relief sculpture historical museum art culture hand coil1800s Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild Copper alloy Tools and Equipment Islamic MythologicalMyth & Metamorphosis Symbols & Ornament The Living World The Maker’s Cabinet Objects with Gravity
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Hand Coil (1800s). Gift of Katherine C. White Rights: CC0. https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.188
Vault de Lupin makes the source signal legible; it does not provide legal advice or replace the institution’s current rights statement.
From the museum record
While this looks like a bracelet, it wasn’t worn around a wrist. A chief or titleholder grasped this “hand coil” vertically during the annual Iguẹ festival, during which such men reaffirm their relationship to the Ọba, whose mystical powers are strengthened. An image of a man’s head caps each end of the thick, twisted metal. Repeated human touch rubbed the undecorated lengths bright and shiny. Though small, the coil’s detail is enormous: to capture it, the artist incised the designs in wax during the casting process. They show these men are elites, with necklaces, caps, and whisker-like facial markings.
Lupin’s visual index
A highly detailed bronze axe handle from ancient Assyria showcases intricate carvings of a bird and a stylized warrior's head.
Machine-assisted description · useful for discovery, not scholarship.