Tusk

EdoWW-1850-014830

1850·Ivory·150.5 × 195.6 × 12.7 cm (59 1/4 × 77 × 5 in.)

<p>Benin royal altars have been embellished with matched pairs of carved elephant tusks since the 18th century, when ivory—a commodity traditionally controlled by the Benin king—dramatically increased in value. In the mid-19th century King Adolo (reigned about 1850–88) commissioned this tusk and 15 others for the altar of his father, Osemwende. It was anchored on a brass head like the one displayed nearby, and prominently features fish-legged <em>oba</em> (king) imagery in honor of the 15th-century ruler Ewuare.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1850
Medium: Ivory
Dimensions: 150.5 × 195.6 × 12.7 cm (59 1/4 × 77 × 5 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Edo

Artist

Edo

Painting

Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

8th arrondissement of Paris

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