Sitefind, beaker, Yoruba beaker, ivory, from Kingdom of Owo, Nigeria, 16th to 17th century, found Basing House, Old Basing, Hampshire, 1853
The existence of this ivory beaker was first recorded in 1853. It was found in fields close to Basing House and , not surprisingly, has been associated with that place. It must be said, however, that the circumstances of its discovery are not clear. Considerable areas were disturbed by the digging of the canal and building of the railway in the late 18th, early 19th centuries, as well as the usual farming activities, but an exact provenance is elusive.
The ivory cup is carved from an elephant’s tusk: it is decorated in low relief with stylised zoomorphic designs. It comprises a cylindrical container standing on a circular base decorated with small open cylinders, a characteristic it shares with a number of similar objects held in other museums. Through its style, form and iconography, its place of manufacture can be identified as Owo, a city state of the Yoruba kingdoms in Nigeria. The exact date of its creation is uncertain, but is most probably the 17th or 18th century. It is just possible therefore, that the cup may have reached Basing before the Civil War, and its battered condition would be appropriate if it was present at the storming of the House. There is no clear evidence, however, that any of the similar vessels found their way to Europe before the 19th century. Considering the uncertainty surrounding the provenance and dating of the beaker, we cannot say for definite that it was in the House at the time of the siege.
The existence of this ivory beaker was first recorded in 1853. It was found in fields close to Basing House and , not surprisingly, has been associated with that place. It must be said, however, that the circumstances of its discovery are not clear. Considerable areas were disturbed by the digging of the canal and building of the railway in the late 18th, early 19th centuries, as well as the usual farming activities, but an exact provenance is elusive.
The ivory cup is carved from an elephant’s tusk: it is decorated in low relief with stylised zoomorphic designs. It comprises a cylindrical container standing on a circular base decorated with small open cylinders, a characteristic it shares with a number of similar objects held in other museums. Through its style, form and iconography, its place of manufacture can be identified as Owo, a city state of the Yoruba kingdoms in Nigeria. The exact date of its creation is uncertain, but is most probably the 17th or 18th century. It is just possible therefore, that the cup may have reached Basing before the Civil War, and its battered condition would be appropriate if it was present at the storming of the House. There is no clear evidence, however, that any of the similar vessels found their way to Europe before the 19th century. Considering the uncertainty surrounding the provenance and dating of the beaker, we cannot say for definite that it was in the House at the time of the siege.
