Gong

Object Details

Label Text

This bird was originally cast atop a cylindrical handle forming a gong. Benin Kingdom chiefs strike the beak of bird gongs as a reminder that a divine oba or king succeeds where others fail. This is based on oral history of an event in the 16th century when a bird flew over Benin's army and cried of disaster. The oba ordered the bird killed and Benin went on to win the war. The oba then ordered his casters to make gongs in the form of birds for his chiefs to strike at court ceremonies in a perpetual reminder of his triumph over fate itself.

Description

Cast copper alloy bird with outstretched wings and long, downward curving beak, overall articulated feather pattern and iron rod inside.

Provenance

Ladislas Segy, New York, 1949

Eliot Elisofon, New York, 1949 to 1973

Exhibition History

Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016

Royal Benin Art in the Collection of the National Museum of African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1987-February 28, 1988

Thinking with Animals, African Images and Perceptions, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., March 24-September 7, 1982

African Art in Washington Collections, Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., May 25, 1972-January 1, 1973

The Language of African Art, Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution Fine Arts & Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., May 24-September 7, 1970, no. 290

Three Collections: An Exhibition, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, June 1-17, 1955

Published References

Freyer, Bryna. 1987. Royal Benin Art in the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Press, no. 9.

Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 234, pl. 126.

Museum of African Art. 1970. The Language of African Art, A Guest Exhibition of the Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution Fine Arts & Portrait Gallery Building. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, no. 290 (not illustrated).

Robbins, Warren M. and Nancy I. Nooter. 1989. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 221, no. 567.

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Data Source

National Museum of African Art

Maker

Benin kingdom court style

Edo artist

Date

Mid-16th to late 19th century

Credit Line

Bequest of Eliot Elisofon

Medium

Copper alloy, iron

Dimensions

H x W x D: 16.1 x 10.9 x 6.3 cm (6 5/16 x 4 5/16 x 2 1/2 in.)

Type

Sculpture