Figure from Ancestral Altar Dedicated to Oba Ovonramwen
Object or Group Name
Figure from ancestral altar dedicated to Oba Ovonramwen
Case Summary
This altar figure is one of a group of eight objects that were returned to Nigeria by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2014. The objects were among a 300-piece bequest made to the museum by collector William E. Teel. According to a statement made by the MFA, the bronze figure had formed part of the ancestral altar dedicated to Oba Ovonramwen in 1914 and was last photographed in its original location in 1970.
The MFA said it was alerted to the possible illegality of its possession of the figure due to inconsistencies in documentation coupled with contact from Nigerian authorities regarding the object.
The MFA said it was alerted to the possible illegality of its possession of the figure due to inconsistencies in documentation coupled with contact from Nigerian authorities regarding the object.
Number of Objects
1
Object Type
Sculpture
Culture
Nigerian
Private Collector
William E. Teel
Museum Name
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Museum Accession Number
Unknown
Receiving Country
Nigeria
Sources
MFA Boston Antiquities and Cultural Property
http://www.mfa.org/collections/provenance/antiquities-and-cultural-property/nigerian-antiquities
The Boston MFA Returns 8 Looted Antiquities To Nigeria
https://web.archive.org/web/20140707030459/http://artery.wbur.org/2014/06/26/mfa-returns-antiquities-nigeria
Boston MFA s Provenance Research Reveals The Illicit Trade In African Antiquities
https://chasingaphrodite.com/2014/07/30/boston-mfas-provenance-research-reveals-the-illicit-trade-in-african-antiquities/
Documents
For information on the 1976 thefts of ancestral altars from the Royal Palace, see Paula Ben-Amos Girshick, "The Symbolism of Ancestral Altars in Benin," in Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria, ed. Barbara Plankensteiner (Vienna, 2007), 157-158; see images on 154-155.
MOLA Contributor(s)
Chris Mechelke
Peer Reviewed By
VG
Citation
“Figure from Ancestral Altar Dedicated to Oba Ovonramwen,” Museum of Looted Antiquities, accessed September 15, 2024, https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/2226.