Element of Asen - Fon - Benin

Altar Element ASEN FON - Ouidha - Benin.


17 cm
Black iron, beautiful aged patina.


The asen is consecrated and installed in the ancestral house during the ceremonies that
Mark the end of mourning. The deceased resides in this altar where offerings are made to him: alcohol.
and libations

Dahomean art possesses a great originality, that of having transmitted in the form
of ideograms and riddles, the history and traditions of the Fon people.
The figures on the asen are supposed to refer to the person we want.
To commemorate. They are generally a direct representation of the profession of the deceased or
His/her religious affiliation. The asen is decorated with symbols specific to each deceased.
That's why the Fon themselves say that the only people capable of
To fully understand these symbols, is it the one who made the asen or the one who has it?
limited partner