带盖容器：槽葫芦 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	带盖容器：槽葫芦
品名（英）	Lidded Vessel: Fluted Gourd
入馆年号	1991年，1991.17.66a, b
策展部门	迈克尔·洛克菲勒之翼（The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing）
创作者
创作年份	公元 1500 - 公元 1897
创作地区	尼日利亚, 贝宁（Nigeria, Court of Benin）
分类	金属容器（Metal-Containers）
尺寸	高 9 1/4 x 宽 7 1/2 x 深 3 1/2 英寸 (23.5 x 19.1 x 8.9 厘米)
介绍（中）	在贝宁王国，可乐果是宫廷互动的重要焦点。作为文明、社交能力和等级的象征，它们被送给客人以示热情好客，并在与纪念祖先相关的仪式活动中作为小祭品分发，包括占卜实践。可乐果经常被储存和呈现在精心设计和装饰的由木材、象牙或黄铜制成的容器中。这个盒子，以葫芦的形式在有脚的基座上抬起，很可能是奥巴或重要酋长的财产，因为黄铜作品只保留给最高级别的人。容器的不寻常形状 - 具有多个纵向脊的长方形 - 其灵感来自一种葫芦，该葫芦经常作为创世神Osanobua的祭品。因此，容器的设计涉及一系列视觉和概念双关语。两者不仅在形状和大小上彼此相似，而且每个都可以作为内部事物的"盒子"，无论是可乐果还是种子。此外，葫芦与祭祀和仪式的联系反映了储存在里面的可乐果的仪式用法。
介绍（英）	In the Benin kingdom, kola nuts were an important focus of courtly interactions. A symbol of civilization, sociability, and rank, they were given to guests to show hospitality and distributed as small offerings at ritual events associated with honoring ancestors, including divination practices. Kola nuts were frequently stored and presented in elaborately designed and decorated containers made from wood, ivory, or brass. This box, in the form of a gourd raised on a footed pedestal, was likely the property of an oba or an important chief given that works in brass are reserved for only those of the highest rank. The unusual shape of the vessel—an oblong form with multiple, lengthwise ridges—takes its inspiration from a species of gourd that frequently served as an offering to Osanobua, the creator god. As such, the container's design involves a series of visual and conceptual puns. Not only do the two resemble each other in shape and size, but each serves as a "box" for what lies within, whether it be kola nuts or seeds. Additionally, the gourd's associations with sacrifice and ritual reflect the ceremonial usage of the kola nuts stored inside.