Artwork Page for Hand Coil

Details / Information for Hand Coil

Hand Coil

1800s

Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild

Medium
Copper alloy
Measurements
Diameter: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Katherine C. White 1975.188
Public Domain
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Location
108A African
Print
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Did You Know?

This is a unique object; it was made using the lost-wax casting technique, which destroys the wax mold in the creation process.

Description

While this looks like a bracelet, it wasn’t worn around a wrist. A chief or titleholder grasped this “hand coil” vertically during the annual Iguẹ festival, during which such men reaffirm their relationship to the Ọba, whose mystical powers are strengthened. An image of a man’s head caps each end of the thick, twisted metal. Repeated human touch rubbed the undecorated lengths bright and shiny. Though small, the coil’s detail is enormous: to capture it, the artist incised the designs in wax during the casting process. They show these men are elites, with necklaces, caps, and whisker-like facial markings.

Hand Coil

1800s

Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild

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