A bronze bracelet - Benin - Nigeria

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Dimitri André
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Selected by Dimitri André

Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.

Estimate  € 350 - € 400
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€62
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€57

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A bronze bracelet from Benin, Nigeria, in the Benin Kingdom/Edo culture, weighing 850 g with a height of 12 cm and depth of 13 cm, provenance Benin City region, Edo State, authentic as a reproduction and in fair condition.

AI-assisted summary

Description from the seller

Bronze Bracelet from Benin – Monumental cylindrical bangle with relief faces, geometric ornamentation, and an inset mask element

Origin: Benin City region, Edo State, Southern Nigeria

Cultural Attribution: Kingdom of Benin, Edo culture

Material: Copper alloy, traditionally described as bronze, with a dark brown patina, greenish oxidation marks, and a light-colored face inset, possibly made of ivory or bone

Dating: Not certain

Provenance: Benin City region, Nigeria, according to the provenance information

Description

This monumental, cylindrical bangle impresses with its unusual size, rich ornamentation, and the combination of diverse sculptural and material design elements. The wide metal body has nearly parallel sides and is framed at its top and bottom by strong, slightly projecting bands. These bands display a regularly structured, diagonal relief pattern reminiscent of braided or twisted cords. The outer surface is entirely covered with a complex system of spirally curled, crescent-shaped, and circular ornaments. Between the larger motifs are densely spaced, dot-like indentations that lend the metal a fine-grained, almost textile-like surface texture. The individual ornaments are separated by smooth contour lines and form a rhythmic pattern that continues across the entire visible surface of the cylinder. A rectangular to trapezoidal inset on the front is particularly striking. Within this opening is a small, light brown to honey-colored face, its material distinctly different from the dark metal body. The face has a high forehead, narrow, slightly downward-sloping eyes, a prominent nose, and sculpted lips. On the forehead is a round, dark element, possibly serving as a fastener or ornamental accent. The surface of the light inset exhibits fine cracks, darker discolorations, and irregular lines. Several sculpted, mask- or head-like reliefs are prominently displayed on the sides of the bracelet, their details only partially discernible due to the side view. Numerous metal loops and movable, ring-shaped pendants, some bearing small bell-shaped elements, adorn the upper and lower edges. The entire metal surface possesses a dark brown to blackish patina with greenish oxidation zones and, in places, reddish-brown discolorations.

Art Historical Analysis

The metalwork of the historical Kingdom of Benin is among the most significant courtly art traditions of the African continent. The kingdom developed in the area of ​​present-day southern Nigeria and reached a remarkable political and cultural zenith, particularly from the 15th century onward. Benin City formed the center of a highly developed courtly society, where specialized artisans worked under the authority of the Oba, the King of Benin. Metal casters held a prominent position, their workshops producing complex objects from copper alloys. The lost-wax casting process enabled the production of highly detailed reliefs, three-dimensional figures, and elaborately ornamented objects. Besides the well-known commemorative heads, relief plaques, and figurative representations, Beninese metalwork also encompasses jewelry, ceremonial implements, and various forms of status and prestige objects. Bracelets and other metal ornaments could serve as symbols of wealth, social standing, and institutional affiliation within courtly society. The present work incorporates several design elements that can be associated with historical Beninese art. These include the dense ornamental articulation, the use of relief faces, and the meticulous finishing of the metal surface. The combination of a large-format cylindrical metal body with an inserted face, possibly made of organic material, is particularly unusual. Such a combination of different materials may indicate a specific representational intent. However, the photograph does not allow us to determine whether the object actually originates from a historical court workshop or represents a later work in the Beninese casting tradition. Even its original function as a wearable bracelet is not definitively established, given its exceptional width and numerous charms.

Iconography and Symbolism

The bracelet's iconographic design is characterized by the interplay of geometric ornaments, three-dimensional facial representations, and movable charms. The metal pendant is clearly identifiable. The spirally curled and crescent-shaped motifs create a complex ornamental structure, the rhythmic repetition of which emphasizes the object's cylindrical form. In Beninese art, geometric patterns, stylized natural forms, and figurative representations can be linked to notions of social order, royal dignity, and cultural identity. However, a concrete symbolic interpretation of the ornaments visible here is not possible without corresponding comparative objects. Particularly noteworthy is the small, frontally oriented face at the center of the composition. Its calm, concentrated physiognomy differs markedly from the dynamic ornamentation of the surrounding metal surface. If the light-colored material is indeed ivory, a connection to the special appreciation of this material within Beninese courtly culture would be conceivable. Ivory held paramount importance there and was used, among other things, for royal altar furnishings, jewelry, and representative objects. However, the material identification remains open. The mask-like reliefs projecting from the sides could also point to a deliberate repetition of anthropomorphic motifs. The small, bell-shaped pendants add a possible acoustic dimension to the visual design. Movement of the object could have produced sounds, making the piece of jewelry not only visible but also audible. Whether this feature had a ceremonial significance cannot be proven.

Function and Courtly Context

In the historical Kingdom of Benin, jewelry and metal prestige objects were important for displaying social standing and political authority. Certain types of bracelets, neck rings, and other ornaments could be worn within courtly settings or used as symbols of special relationships and obligations. Due to its monumental design and elaborate decoration, the present piece could have originated in such a prestigious context. However, its exceptional width leaves open the question of whether it was actually worn as an ordinary bracelet. Its use as a ceremonial upper arm ornament, as part of a special set of accessories, or as an independent prestige object is conceivable. The numerous loops and movable pendants may originally have served a decorative and possibly acoustic function. The central facial element was also likely of particular importance to the object's visual impact. Its setting within a specially designed opening suggests that the connection between the metal body and the inserted material was intended to be deliberately emphasized. Whether the face represents a specific historical figure, an ancestor, or a symbolic form is unknown. Therefore, a direct interpretation as a royal or religious emblem would not be justified without additional evidence. The visible traces of oxidation and the surface changes of the light-colored insert do not allow for a reliable determination of its age. Likewise, it remains unclear whether all the pendants and the central insert originally belonged to the same production phase.

Art Historical Assessment

The exceptional aesthetic quality of this monumental bangle lies in the extraordinary combination of architectural unity, ornamental diversity, and sculptural detail. The cylindrical metal body forms a powerful, clearly defined basic shape, the surface of which is enlivened by a dense system of curved lines, spiral motifs, and dotted structures. The regular end bands give the object a distinct formal boundary and reinforce its compact appearance. The contrast between the dark, almost solid metal surface and the light-colored face insert at the center is particularly striking. This material contrast immediately draws the eye to the small anthropomorphic figure, lending it a distinctive visual presence. The relief heads projecting from the sides extend the three-dimensional effect beyond the cylindrical base form. The movable metal pendants create a further contrast to the closed body structure, giving the object a subtle dynamism. The dark brown patina, with its greenish and reddish oxidation zones, emphasizes the depth of the reliefs and allows the ornamental details to stand out clearly. Within the broader art historical context of Beninese metalwork, and subject to its dating and cultural attribution, the work can be considered a remarkable example of a richly ornamented piece of jewelry or prestige object. Its particular in the complex interplay of diverse design techniques and materials. The work illustrates the close relationship between artistic refinement, figurative representation, and representational effect that is characteristic of Benin art.

Literature

Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.): Benin: Kings and Rituals. Court Arts from Nigeria. Ghent: Snoeck, 2007.

Paula Ben-Amos: The Art of Benin. London: Thames & Hudson, 1980.

Kathleen Bickford Berzock (ed.): Benin: Royal Arts of a West African Kingdom. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.

The publications mentioned above serve as a general art historical reference for the courtly metalwork of Benin. A reliable literature reference directly related to this specific type of bracelet with an inset facial element is currently unavailable. In particular, the precise material identification of the light-colored inset, its original function, and its chronological classification require further scholarly investigation.

Copyright and Scientific Documentation

Some of the information and photographs have been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and are based on published sources in ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Original texts and photographs may be protected by copyright. All rights held by the respective rights holders are reserved.

Inv. No. MAZ32377

Sold without TL test.
Catawiki's experts perform a virtual review based on the information, photographs, provenance and supporting documentation provided during the submission process. Acceptance of a traditional or ancient African art object for auction does not constitute independent authentication or certification by Catawiki, nor does it mean that Catawiki's expert has physically or scientifically authenticated, patina-analyzed, or dated the object. Under our Terms and Traditional African Art Submission Guidelines, the seller remains responsible for the accuracy, legality, provenance and authenticity of the object and the information provided.

Seller's Story

Wolfgang Jaenicke’s engagement with African art did not begin in the field or the marketplace but in a quieter, more inward space—among papers, books, and objects that belonged to his father. The archive on Germany’s former colonies was not arranged to tell a single story; it suggested many. It invited scrutiny rather than reverence, and it taught Jaenicke early on that objects are never mute. They carry time inside them—fracture and continuity held in the same form—and they ask to be read as carefully as texts. For more than a quarter century, Jaenicke has worked as a collector, dealer, and intermediary, though none of these terms quite captures the shape of his practice. What used to be grouped, too casually, under the heading of “Tribal Art” has never appeared to him as a sealed or historical category. It is, instead, a set of living traditions, constantly negotiating the present. His academic training—in ethnology, art history, and comparative law—provided a grammar. The language itself he learned elsewhere. In Mali, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana, knowledge emerged slowly, through repeated encounters that hardened into relationships, and through trust built not all at once but over years. Mali became the gravitational center of this experience. Between 2002 and 2012, Jaenicke lived and worked in Bamako and Ségou, where he ran Tribalartforum, a gallery overlooking the Niger River. The space resisted easy chronology. Sculptures and ceramics shared the room with photography, and works by Malick Sidibé—images of Malian youth in the 1970s, self-assured and exuberant—hung alongside older ritual forms. The effect was not nostalgic but clarifying: past and present did not cancel each other out; they sharpened one another. The war of 2012 ended this chapter abruptly, as wars tend to do. But it did not dissolve the work. Together with Aguibou Kamaté, Jaenicke regrouped in Lomé, closer to the places where many of the objects originated and to the routes they continue to travel. Since 2018, Berlin has become another point on this map. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke now operates opposite Charlottenburg Palace, supported by a small team of specialists. Its focus rests, in particular, on West African bronzes and terracottas—materials shaped by earth and fire, and by forms of memory that resist easy translation. What distinguishes Jaenicke’s practice is not only its geographical range but its internal tension. Fieldwork is paired with provenance research; commerce is treated as inseparable from responsibility. In collaboration with museums and scholarly initiatives, circulation is framed not as extraction but as an ethical process that remains unfinished. The aim is not to remove objects from the world and seal them off, but to keep them readable within it—to allow them to continue speaking, even as the conditions of their speech change. ------------ Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke is a Berlin-based gallery specializing in West African sculpture, bronzes, terracottas, masks, and contemporary African art. It is directed by Wolfgang Jaenicke, whose work combines collecting, dealing, provenance research, fieldwork, and archival documentation. According to the gallery’s own account, Jaenicke studied ethnology, art history, and comparative law and has worked in the field of African art for more than twenty-five years. His activities developed through long-term engagement in countries including Mali, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo. Rather than presenting African art as a closed historical category, he describes it as a continuing cultural tradition shaped by living communities and changing historical contexts. A particularly important phase of his career was in Mali, where he lived and worked between roughly 2002 and 2012 in Bamako and Ségou. There he operated Tribalartforum, a gallery that combined historical African sculpture with contemporary African photography, including works by Malick Sidibé. The political and military crisis in Mali in 2012 led to the closure of this phase of activity. Later, together with Aguibou Kamaté, Jaenicke continued working from Lomé, Togo, before establishing a gallery presence in Berlin near Charlottenburg Palace. The gallery places particular emphasis on West African bronzes, terracottas, Benin and Ife-related works, Nok sculpture, Dogon art, Baule sculpture, Senufo objects, and Yoruba material. One distinctive aspect of Jaenicke’s public position is his repeated emphasis on provenance transparency and restitution debates. On several published object records, the gallery explicitly discusses issues surrounding export documentation, UNESCO conventions, ownership histories, and communication with scholars and restitution researchers. These statements reflect broader contemporary debates about the circulation of African cultural heritage, legality, collecting history, and museum acquisition practices. The gallery maintains extensive online archives and catalogues documenting hundreds of African objects, including Benin and Ife bronzes, Nok terracottas, Dogon sculptures, Baule figures, Fon objects, Moba figures, and other West African material. For researchers interested in the history of the African art trade, Jaenicke represents a later generation of dealers compared with figures such as John J. Klejman. Whereas Klejman belonged to the postwar New York market of the 1950s–1970s, Jaenicke’s work has been shaped by contemporary concerns with field documentation, provenance research, restitution discussions, digital archives, and direct engagement with West African networks and artists. This text is based on AI Information

Bronze Bracelet from Benin – Monumental cylindrical bangle with relief faces, geometric ornamentation, and an inset mask element

Origin: Benin City region, Edo State, Southern Nigeria

Cultural Attribution: Kingdom of Benin, Edo culture

Material: Copper alloy, traditionally described as bronze, with a dark brown patina, greenish oxidation marks, and a light-colored face inset, possibly made of ivory or bone

Dating: Not certain

Provenance: Benin City region, Nigeria, according to the provenance information

Description

This monumental, cylindrical bangle impresses with its unusual size, rich ornamentation, and the combination of diverse sculptural and material design elements. The wide metal body has nearly parallel sides and is framed at its top and bottom by strong, slightly projecting bands. These bands display a regularly structured, diagonal relief pattern reminiscent of braided or twisted cords. The outer surface is entirely covered with a complex system of spirally curled, crescent-shaped, and circular ornaments. Between the larger motifs are densely spaced, dot-like indentations that lend the metal a fine-grained, almost textile-like surface texture. The individual ornaments are separated by smooth contour lines and form a rhythmic pattern that continues across the entire visible surface of the cylinder. A rectangular to trapezoidal inset on the front is particularly striking. Within this opening is a small, light brown to honey-colored face, its material distinctly different from the dark metal body. The face has a high forehead, narrow, slightly downward-sloping eyes, a prominent nose, and sculpted lips. On the forehead is a round, dark element, possibly serving as a fastener or ornamental accent. The surface of the light inset exhibits fine cracks, darker discolorations, and irregular lines. Several sculpted, mask- or head-like reliefs are prominently displayed on the sides of the bracelet, their details only partially discernible due to the side view. Numerous metal loops and movable, ring-shaped pendants, some bearing small bell-shaped elements, adorn the upper and lower edges. The entire metal surface possesses a dark brown to blackish patina with greenish oxidation zones and, in places, reddish-brown discolorations.

Art Historical Analysis

The metalwork of the historical Kingdom of Benin is among the most significant courtly art traditions of the African continent. The kingdom developed in the area of ​​present-day southern Nigeria and reached a remarkable political and cultural zenith, particularly from the 15th century onward. Benin City formed the center of a highly developed courtly society, where specialized artisans worked under the authority of the Oba, the King of Benin. Metal casters held a prominent position, their workshops producing complex objects from copper alloys. The lost-wax casting process enabled the production of highly detailed reliefs, three-dimensional figures, and elaborately ornamented objects. Besides the well-known commemorative heads, relief plaques, and figurative representations, Beninese metalwork also encompasses jewelry, ceremonial implements, and various forms of status and prestige objects. Bracelets and other metal ornaments could serve as symbols of wealth, social standing, and institutional affiliation within courtly society. The present work incorporates several design elements that can be associated with historical Beninese art. These include the dense ornamental articulation, the use of relief faces, and the meticulous finishing of the metal surface. The combination of a large-format cylindrical metal body with an inserted face, possibly made of organic material, is particularly unusual. Such a combination of different materials may indicate a specific representational intent. However, the photograph does not allow us to determine whether the object actually originates from a historical court workshop or represents a later work in the Beninese casting tradition. Even its original function as a wearable bracelet is not definitively established, given its exceptional width and numerous charms.

Iconography and Symbolism

The bracelet's iconographic design is characterized by the interplay of geometric ornaments, three-dimensional facial representations, and movable charms. The metal pendant is clearly identifiable. The spirally curled and crescent-shaped motifs create a complex ornamental structure, the rhythmic repetition of which emphasizes the object's cylindrical form. In Beninese art, geometric patterns, stylized natural forms, and figurative representations can be linked to notions of social order, royal dignity, and cultural identity. However, a concrete symbolic interpretation of the ornaments visible here is not possible without corresponding comparative objects. Particularly noteworthy is the small, frontally oriented face at the center of the composition. Its calm, concentrated physiognomy differs markedly from the dynamic ornamentation of the surrounding metal surface. If the light-colored material is indeed ivory, a connection to the special appreciation of this material within Beninese courtly culture would be conceivable. Ivory held paramount importance there and was used, among other things, for royal altar furnishings, jewelry, and representative objects. However, the material identification remains open. The mask-like reliefs projecting from the sides could also point to a deliberate repetition of anthropomorphic motifs. The small, bell-shaped pendants add a possible acoustic dimension to the visual design. Movement of the object could have produced sounds, making the piece of jewelry not only visible but also audible. Whether this feature had a ceremonial significance cannot be proven.

Function and Courtly Context

In the historical Kingdom of Benin, jewelry and metal prestige objects were important for displaying social standing and political authority. Certain types of bracelets, neck rings, and other ornaments could be worn within courtly settings or used as symbols of special relationships and obligations. Due to its monumental design and elaborate decoration, the present piece could have originated in such a prestigious context. However, its exceptional width leaves open the question of whether it was actually worn as an ordinary bracelet. Its use as a ceremonial upper arm ornament, as part of a special set of accessories, or as an independent prestige object is conceivable. The numerous loops and movable pendants may originally have served a decorative and possibly acoustic function. The central facial element was also likely of particular importance to the object's visual impact. Its setting within a specially designed opening suggests that the connection between the metal body and the inserted material was intended to be deliberately emphasized. Whether the face represents a specific historical figure, an ancestor, or a symbolic form is unknown. Therefore, a direct interpretation as a royal or religious emblem would not be justified without additional evidence. The visible traces of oxidation and the surface changes of the light-colored insert do not allow for a reliable determination of its age. Likewise, it remains unclear whether all the pendants and the central insert originally belonged to the same production phase.

Art Historical Assessment

The exceptional aesthetic quality of this monumental bangle lies in the extraordinary combination of architectural unity, ornamental diversity, and sculptural detail. The cylindrical metal body forms a powerful, clearly defined basic shape, the surface of which is enlivened by a dense system of curved lines, spiral motifs, and dotted structures. The regular end bands give the object a distinct formal boundary and reinforce its compact appearance. The contrast between the dark, almost solid metal surface and the light-colored face insert at the center is particularly striking. This material contrast immediately draws the eye to the small anthropomorphic figure, lending it a distinctive visual presence. The relief heads projecting from the sides extend the three-dimensional effect beyond the cylindrical base form. The movable metal pendants create a further contrast to the closed body structure, giving the object a subtle dynamism. The dark brown patina, with its greenish and reddish oxidation zones, emphasizes the depth of the reliefs and allows the ornamental details to stand out clearly. Within the broader art historical context of Beninese metalwork, and subject to its dating and cultural attribution, the work can be considered a remarkable example of a richly ornamented piece of jewelry or prestige object. Its particular in the complex interplay of diverse design techniques and materials. The work illustrates the close relationship between artistic refinement, figurative representation, and representational effect that is characteristic of Benin art.

Literature

Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.): Benin: Kings and Rituals. Court Arts from Nigeria. Ghent: Snoeck, 2007.

Paula Ben-Amos: The Art of Benin. London: Thames & Hudson, 1980.

Kathleen Bickford Berzock (ed.): Benin: Royal Arts of a West African Kingdom. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.

The publications mentioned above serve as a general art historical reference for the courtly metalwork of Benin. A reliable literature reference directly related to this specific type of bracelet with an inset facial element is currently unavailable. In particular, the precise material identification of the light-colored inset, its original function, and its chronological classification require further scholarly investigation.

Copyright and Scientific Documentation

Some of the information and photographs have been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and are based on published sources in ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Original texts and photographs may be protected by copyright. All rights held by the respective rights holders are reserved.

Inv. No. MAZ32377

Sold without TL test.
Catawiki's experts perform a virtual review based on the information, photographs, provenance and supporting documentation provided during the submission process. Acceptance of a traditional or ancient African art object for auction does not constitute independent authentication or certification by Catawiki, nor does it mean that Catawiki's expert has physically or scientifically authenticated, patina-analyzed, or dated the object. Under our Terms and Traditional African Art Submission Guidelines, the seller remains responsible for the accuracy, legality, provenance and authenticity of the object and the information provided.

Seller's Story

Wolfgang Jaenicke’s engagement with African art did not begin in the field or the marketplace but in a quieter, more inward space—among papers, books, and objects that belonged to his father. The archive on Germany’s former colonies was not arranged to tell a single story; it suggested many. It invited scrutiny rather than reverence, and it taught Jaenicke early on that objects are never mute. They carry time inside them—fracture and continuity held in the same form—and they ask to be read as carefully as texts. For more than a quarter century, Jaenicke has worked as a collector, dealer, and intermediary, though none of these terms quite captures the shape of his practice. What used to be grouped, too casually, under the heading of “Tribal Art” has never appeared to him as a sealed or historical category. It is, instead, a set of living traditions, constantly negotiating the present. His academic training—in ethnology, art history, and comparative law—provided a grammar. The language itself he learned elsewhere. In Mali, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana, knowledge emerged slowly, through repeated encounters that hardened into relationships, and through trust built not all at once but over years. Mali became the gravitational center of this experience. Between 2002 and 2012, Jaenicke lived and worked in Bamako and Ségou, where he ran Tribalartforum, a gallery overlooking the Niger River. The space resisted easy chronology. Sculptures and ceramics shared the room with photography, and works by Malick Sidibé—images of Malian youth in the 1970s, self-assured and exuberant—hung alongside older ritual forms. The effect was not nostalgic but clarifying: past and present did not cancel each other out; they sharpened one another. The war of 2012 ended this chapter abruptly, as wars tend to do. But it did not dissolve the work. Together with Aguibou Kamaté, Jaenicke regrouped in Lomé, closer to the places where many of the objects originated and to the routes they continue to travel. Since 2018, Berlin has become another point on this map. Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke now operates opposite Charlottenburg Palace, supported by a small team of specialists. Its focus rests, in particular, on West African bronzes and terracottas—materials shaped by earth and fire, and by forms of memory that resist easy translation. What distinguishes Jaenicke’s practice is not only its geographical range but its internal tension. Fieldwork is paired with provenance research; commerce is treated as inseparable from responsibility. In collaboration with museums and scholarly initiatives, circulation is framed not as extraction but as an ethical process that remains unfinished. The aim is not to remove objects from the world and seal them off, but to keep them readable within it—to allow them to continue speaking, even as the conditions of their speech change. ------------ Galerie Wolfgang Jaenicke is a Berlin-based gallery specializing in West African sculpture, bronzes, terracottas, masks, and contemporary African art. It is directed by Wolfgang Jaenicke, whose work combines collecting, dealing, provenance research, fieldwork, and archival documentation. According to the gallery’s own account, Jaenicke studied ethnology, art history, and comparative law and has worked in the field of African art for more than twenty-five years. His activities developed through long-term engagement in countries including Mali, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo. Rather than presenting African art as a closed historical category, he describes it as a continuing cultural tradition shaped by living communities and changing historical contexts. A particularly important phase of his career was in Mali, where he lived and worked between roughly 2002 and 2012 in Bamako and Ségou. There he operated Tribalartforum, a gallery that combined historical African sculpture with contemporary African photography, including works by Malick Sidibé. The political and military crisis in Mali in 2012 led to the closure of this phase of activity. Later, together with Aguibou Kamaté, Jaenicke continued working from Lomé, Togo, before establishing a gallery presence in Berlin near Charlottenburg Palace. The gallery places particular emphasis on West African bronzes, terracottas, Benin and Ife-related works, Nok sculpture, Dogon art, Baule sculpture, Senufo objects, and Yoruba material. One distinctive aspect of Jaenicke’s public position is his repeated emphasis on provenance transparency and restitution debates. On several published object records, the gallery explicitly discusses issues surrounding export documentation, UNESCO conventions, ownership histories, and communication with scholars and restitution researchers. These statements reflect broader contemporary debates about the circulation of African cultural heritage, legality, collecting history, and museum acquisition practices. The gallery maintains extensive online archives and catalogues documenting hundreds of African objects, including Benin and Ife bronzes, Nok terracottas, Dogon sculptures, Baule figures, Fon objects, Moba figures, and other West African material. For researchers interested in the history of the African art trade, Jaenicke represents a later generation of dealers compared with figures such as John J. Klejman. Whereas Klejman belonged to the postwar New York market of the 1950s–1970s, Jaenicke’s work has been shaped by contemporary concerns with field documentation, provenance research, restitution discussions, digital archives, and direct engagement with West African networks and artists. This text is based on AI Information

Details

Ethnic group/ culture
Benin
Country of Origin
Nigeria
Material
Bronze
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Fair condition
Title of artwork
A bronze bracelet
Height
12 cm
Depth
13 cm
Weight
850 g
Authenticity
Reproduction/replica
GermanyVerified
6937
Objects sold
99.42%
protop

Rechtliche Informationen des Verkäufers

Unternehmen:
Jaenicke Njoya GmbH
Repräsentant:
Wolfgang Jaenicke
Adresse:
Jaenicke Njoya GmbH
Klausenerplatz 7
14059 Berlin
GERMANY
Telefonnummer:
+493033951033
Email:
w.jaenicke@jaenicke-njoya.com
USt-IdNr.:
DE241193499

AGB

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