Bell: Face (Lower Niger gong)

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Bell: Face
Clapperless Janus-faced horned bell, lost-wax cast in copper alloy. Conical form with a looped strap handle and a hole at the top. Two downturned curved horns emerge from the sides of the head, one broken. The face features circular, rounded cowrie- or coffee bean-shaped eyes, an inverted T-shaped nose, and a protruding mouth with three radiating lines at each corner. A line of raised squares forms a chevron pattern on the forehead, while similar raised square lines create a chevron decoration around the lower half of the bell. The lower lip is simple and rounded.

Date: 15th–19th century

Geography: Nigeria, Lower Niger River region

Culture: Lower Niger Bronze Industry

Medium: Copper alloy

Classification: Metal-Musical Instruments

Credit Line: Omorogbe, Aigbe. Bell face, Bronze-cast(lost-wax), Private collection, Benin city

Object Number: Cat_2025-10

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