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Altar Staff

20th century
20th C.
Africa, Republic of Benin
41 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (105.4 x 21.6 x 21.6 cm)

By (primary)
Artist unknown

Culture/People: Fon peoples

Medium: Iron, brass, aluminum, wood chip

Credit Line: Gift of Janice Hecker

Accession Number: 1982.326

Currently On View

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword

altars
Use for constructions upon which religious sacrifice is offered. Includes both small, tablelike fixtures and larger, free-standing, outdoor structures. For the surface at which communion is celebrated in Protestant churches, use "communion tables." [September 1993 related term added. March 1993 descriptor moved. October 1991 scope note changed.]

ceremonial staffs
Weapons in the form of a single, long shaft, like a quarterstaff, that serve ceremonial or ritual functions, for instance as symbols of office or public regalia. [July 1998 descriptor added.]

asen
Sculptures of the Fon people of Benin, Africa, consisting of a staff surmounted by a disc-like platform decorated with a tableau of cut-out or forged metal figures, often with pendants hanging from the edge; they function as commemoratives to deceased relatives, and are prayed to and offered sacrifices in ceremonies of mourning and ancestor worship. [March 1998 descriptor added.]

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African Art

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Last updated: 01/22/2021

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Altar Staff

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