Fowler Museum exhibition focuses on bronze objects from southern Nigeria

‘Summoning the Ancestors’ runs through March 10, 2019

September 25, 2018

“Summoning the Ancestors,” the new exhibition at the Fowler Museum at UCLA, explores a comprehensive collection of bronzes — 76 bells and 73 ǫfǫ (small objects derived from wooden staffs of power) — produced in abundance in southern Nigeria by Igala, Igbo, Edo and Yorùbá peoples.

Dating from the 15th to mid-20th centuries, these little-studied works may be related to metalsmithing traditions associated with the famed sculptures found at the archaeological sites of Igbo-Ukwu, Ife and the Benin Kingdom.

Grouped together by style as opposed to geographic area or maker, the installation highlights the potential of a large collection to demonstrate variations of style and decoration within a particular genre. Staged upon a multilevel platform running the length of the Fowler in Focus Gallery, the bells include examples big and small, richly adorned or spare in profile, and some that stretch ideas of what a bell can be. Many appear in multiples, standing like kindred souls, one next to the other; others represent unique forms.

Metalsmiths use the lost-wax casting technique to create these forms, produced with copper alloys of bronze (copper mixed with tin, lead and trace elements) or brass (copper mixed with zinc and small amounts of other elements). The convention in Nigerian art studies is to apply the generic term “bronzes” for all copper alloy objects. Artist-smiths went to great lengths to individualize the pieces, applying their own stylistic signature to each one through a wide array of raised and incised patterns, including spirals, loops and dots, as well as floral and animal motifs.

Many of the bronze bells on view were rung to invoke ancestors or nature spirits. Some announced the presence of important members of the living world, such as priests or local rulers. When worn on the body, a bell’s sounds might protect the wearer from malicious influences. The frequent inclusion of bells on shrines and in rituals, dances and burials underlines a pervasive belief in the efficacy of this instrument."— Erin Connors, Sep. 25, 2018

This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the UCLA Newsroom website.
Find more information about Summoning the Ancestors at the Fowler Museum at UCLA here. 

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