Tusk
Edo
1850-1888
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
150.5 × 195.6 × 12.7 cm (59 1/4 × 77 × 5 in.)
Classification
ceremonial object
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
51809
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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 oba (king) imagery in honor of the 15th-century ruler Ew...