2 Elements of Asen - FON - Benin

2 elements of Autel ASEN FON - Ouidah - Benin.

19 and 15 cm
Beautiful patina of use.

Alloy of metals.

The asen is consecrated and installed in the ancestors’ hut during ceremonies that mark the lifting of mourning. The deceased resides in this altar where offerings are given to him "to drink": alcohol and libations.

Dahomean art possesses a great originality, that of having transmitted in the form of ideograms and rebuses the history and traditions of the Fon people. The figures on the asen are supposed to refer to the person whom one wishes to commemorate. They are generally a direct representation of the deceased’s profession or his religious affiliation. The asen is decorated with symbols specific to each deceased person. This is why the Fon themselves say that the only people capable of fully understanding these symbols are the one who made the asen or the one who commissioned it.