Altar Ring in Brass with Birds and Figures

A dark brass ring, roughly circular, encrusted with relief figures, animals and birds around its outer band. Two bird heads project from the top edge, and small human figures and objects are worked in low relief along the surface. The ring rests on a pale grey background, lit softly from the upper left.

Artist

Edo, Yoruba, or Lower Niger Valley caster

Date

17th–19th century

Medium

Brass

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1905 × 1525 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991