Commemorative Altar Figure
30.5.99.1
Information
The full significance of this royal altar figure is not known, but it appears to represent the cross-wearing official of the Ewua craft guild who ritually greets the dawn on behalf of the Oba. The dawn ceremony was introduced in the 16th century and celebrates the divine origin and spiritual legacy of the Oba’s long dynasty. The figure was sold to the museum in 1899 by the Liverpool dealer William Cross.