an antique embossed brass dish from old calabar depicting the tortoise named " all of you " the main charecter in the allegorical tale from igbo folklore " the tortoise and the birds "
dating from around 1910
350mm diameter. (the dish has a couple of small stress fractures on the tortoise shell.)
"The Tortoise and the Birds" is a folktale where the cunning but greedy tortoise tricks the birds into giving him feathers to fly to a feast in the sky. There, he deceives the host by claiming a name meaning "All of You," the host arrives with many bowls of food and declares to the guests " this is for all of you " the tortoise consumes the entire feast. The birds, realising they have been tricked, strip him of his feathers, and a miscommunicated message to his wife results in the tortoise's shell shattering upon a forceful landing. This ultimately explains why the tortoise's shell is uneven and serves as a moral warning against greed and deceit.
in efic culture the tortoise is a symbol of cleverness, wisdom and patience
large plain brass charger dishes and platters known as neptunes (a brass or copper pan or plate used for the evaporation of sea water to obtain salt) were imported from britain to nigeria and then decorated locally in old calabar. regarded as important prestige items by the local chiefs they were displayed with great ceremony. items of efik decorated brass were also presented by the king and chiefs to important dignitaries and distinguished visitors to the area. these chargers are interesting transcultural aesthetic expressions resulting from a history of european contact .
art is an underemphasized contributor to efik mythology. efik beliefs in ndem and ekpe were transmitted via engravings on brass plates (akpangkpang). prior to the depiction of myths, events and stories on brass plates, efik women expressed their art by decorating houses with geometric designs of various kinds. women were regarded as the artisans in old calabar society. women would create beautifully finished products which would then be bought and taken as souvenirs from old calabar by english traders, these products, particularly the calabashes ( gourds ) were fragile and very often goods would break on their journey to england. edem ndarake also known as mr. ironbar is regarded as the father of brass art in efik history. the wives of ironbar were active members of the calabash engraving industry. mr ironbar chose to solve the problem of art breakages and wastage by encouraging the women artists to transfer their designs to brass which was a far more durable and luxurious material. mr. ironbar earnt his monika after encouraging the english traders to bargain with iron bars which inturn could be used as tools for decorating brass products such as trays, dishes and basins. brass dishes were often designed with images of efik deities, often the designs depicted animals, flora and fauna and geometric patterns that were symbolic to the deities.
the dish is a fine example of this punched or chased metalwork decoration. the small metal tools with shaped ends were used to give impressions such as dots, lines or semicircles. these were then lightly held against the surface of the metal and tapped with a hammer to give the required detail and texture.
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