Southern Nigeria
Yoruba subgroup ‘Ijebu’

Bronze bell / lost wax casting
Pre-20th century
Height: 14cm / Length: 8cm / Width: 8cm / Weight: 1.9 pounds
Idiophone-Struck Directly – Metal Bell with clapper

A four-sided brass face bell known as ‘Omo,’ created by an artisan of the Ijebu (subgroup) region of the Yoruba people of Southern Nigeria.  A mark of the wearer’s rank and power, the bell would have been displayed by a prominent chief, worn at the left hip by a long sash draped over the right shoulder. Unlike the four-sided Benin Erowo/Eroro bell, the ‘Omo’ bell has a curved opening at the bottom, sharply tapered sides and one side with a minimal featured face. The other sides are plain except for decoration at the base. Of particular interest in these dignitary bells, is the application of facial features, cast in two separate steps and then overlaid onto the bell front – obviously executed during the original casting.  It retains its original phallic shaped iron clapper.