Catalogue
Registration number
Af1949,46.176
Institution
British Museum
Edo designations
English designations
Staff of Office
Categories
Ceremonial Objects
Staffs
Location
Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office
Staff of Office

Provenance

5 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igbesamwan guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 19, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (month approximate)
The object was looted by Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin - February 1897 from Benin Kingdom.
Production
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to 1927
The object was produced in London.
Inheritance
1949
The object was inherited by Dorothy K. Oldman from William Ockelford Oldman in London.
Purchase
1949
The object was purchased by the British Museum from Dorothy K. Oldman through The Art Fund in London.

Institution data

British Museum
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2025-06-10
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Registration number
object id
Af1949,46.176
PRN
object id
EAF19119
Object Type
designation
staff
Description
description
Wooden staff carved with human heads of the upper part.
Ethnic name (made by)
ethnic attribution
Edo
Date
date made
16thC - 19thC
Production place
production place
Made in: Nigeria
Findspot
place collected
Found/Acquired: Benin City
Materials
material
wood
Technique
production technique
carved
Dimensions
dimensions
Height: 151.20 cm~Width: 6.70 cm~Depth: 5.80 cm
Exhibition history
exhibition history
Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 1993-1997, London, Museum of Mankind, Great Benin: a West African Kingdom
Associated events
event
Associated Event: British to Benin City - Feb 1897
Acquisition name (acquisition)
provenance
Dorothy Oldman
Acquisition name (previous)
provenance
Previous owner/ex-collection: William Ockelford Oldman
Acquisition date
accession date
1949.0
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here

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