Vessel with chameleons

This unique vessel arrived in England shortly after a punitive expedition by the British against the Benin Kingdom in 1897. The lack of surface decoration, the shape of the vessel and the style of the chameleons are not typical of Benin art. Although a number of unique objects emanated from the Benin court, this vessel may have been cast elsewhere or by a non-Benin artist. The technical expertise required for such a complex lost-wax casting would seem to demand the skills found in a major metalworking center. Until a more exact identification can be made, this vessel is labeled "Lower Niger Bronze Industry," a term suggested by William Fagg of the British Museum in 1963 as a temporary grouping for such atypical Nigerian archaeological works.