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Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)
Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)
Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view02_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view02_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.110_print_bw.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.110_print_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_cleaned_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_cleaned_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail01_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail01_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail_acetate_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail02_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail02_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail04_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail04_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail05_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail05_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail06_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail06_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail07_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail07_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail08_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_detail08_PS11.jpg)

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Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)

Arts of Africa

CULTURE Edo
MEDIUM Elephant ivory
  • Place Made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
    • DATES 18th century
    DIMENSIONS 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm)  (show scale)
    INSCRIPTIONS "39.110" in black along the outside edge of the base; "AF/5066" inside the opening
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    ACCESSION NUMBER 39.110
    CREDIT LINE Alfred W. Jenkins Fund
    PROVENANCE Until at least 1897, Benin Kingdom; 1897, reportedly taken from the Royal Palace during the British military raid and occupation of Benin City by an unidentified British agent; between 1897 and 1921, provenance not yet documented; before 1921, reportedly acquired by Lieutenant-Colonel Maximilian John de Bathe; by 1921, acquired by William O. Oldman of London, United Kingdom; 1921, purchased from William O. Oldman by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA; 1939, transferred from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology to the Brooklyn Museum, by exchange.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Large carved elephant tusk with multiple figures in low relief. Figures carved on the tusk include divine representations of a deceased king such as the fish and a man with two crocodiles issuing from his head. In addition men holding spears, a European with a crossbow, an ibis with a catfish in its bill, etc. are shown.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Edo. Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao), 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2021
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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    Edo. <em>Altar Tusk (Aken’ni Elao)</em>, 18th century. Elephant ivory, 80 11/16 x 5 1/2 in. (205 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.110_view01_PS11.jpg)

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