Altar fon Assen

Portable altar –Asen– from Agoli-Agbo, Fon (Abomey, Benin Republic)

The Asen is a portable iron or brass altar that, mounted on a stem, was stuck into the ground during some Fon ceremonies. It used to be planted to honor a deceased person, portraying his life, his customs or his circle of friends; It also served as a basis for offerings in the form of drinks or food.
The Asen presented at Black Market shows, on a 52 cm stem and a circular wrought iron base (26 cm Ø), four symbols and four characters related to the last king of the Dahomey dynasty, who died in 1940. The symbols correspond to the royal emblems of Agoli-Agbo (the leg) and his brother Behanzin (the shark), a Christian cross as a reference to the French protectorate, and a piece of wood from the tree that gives its name to the ethnic group (Fon). The seated characters are the brothers Behanzin and Agoli-Agbo, the queen mother and a prince (possibly Aidododo). The edge of the altar is decorated with red glass beads and four plaques with the inscriptions "WEKEHOU", "METEHOU", "WILEKIN" and "AGASSIN".

Height: 66.0cm; Maximum width: 26.0 cm; Weight: 0.79 Kg