Brass Male Genre Figure
date: label: Accession Date
content: 25 Apr 1994
label: Collection Date
content: 1956
name: label: Collector
content: Katharine Swift
label: Donor Name
content: Katharine Swift
notes: label: Notes
content: STANDING MALE FIGURE IS BENT FORWARD AT THE WAIST, LEFT FOOT BEFORE RIGHT. CARRIES A HOE IN BOTH HANDS. HAS STYLIZED FACIAL FEATURES. WEARS ONLY A LOIN CLOTH, MADE FROM A RECTANGULAR BRASS STRIP, INCISED W/ WAVE-DESIGN ON ONE SIDE. STRIP IS BENT TO COVER CROTCH & HAS FRONT & BACK FLAPS. IS SECURED TO HIPS W/ A METAL WIRE. ROUND HAT W/ WIDE RIM (HAS DESIGN FROM MOLD) IS NAILED TO HEAD. ACCORDING TO MARY JO ARNOLDI, CURATOR OF AFRICAN ETHNOLOGY, BRASS CASTING & BRASS FIGURES ARE A LONG STANDING CRAFT SPECIALIZATION IN THIS AREA. BRASS FIGURES WERE CAST FOR USE ON COMMEMORATIVE STAFFS CALLED "ASEN" FOR THE FUNERALS OF IMPORTANT ELDER MEN & WOMEN. THESE STAFFS OFTEN INCLUDED GENRE FIGURES SIMILAR TO THIS ONE, WHICH WAS MADE FOR THE TOURIST TRADE.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 28 Nov 2014
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: Abomey, Benin, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Fon
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 400212
label: USNM Number
content: E427934-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Figure