Benin style, Nigeria

Equestrian Figure. The bronzes of Benin are the outcome of a long tradition. The discovery of the Benin bronzes dates from 1897, when a British punitive expedition stripped the city of Benin of many objects, which were carried to London. Soon after this expedition a newly elected oba (king) did everything to breathe new life into the old arts and was, up to a point, successful. The “Benin style” is a court art from the palace of the divine oba. The oba possessed a monopoly of bronze. Despite the expense and the difficulty of keeping horses alive in the tropical forest, the presence of horses was not uncommon in the Benin Kingdom, and the oba used them on ceremonial occasions. The figures of this type may have originally commemorated a person or an event, but over a long period of time they became a general symbol of the power of the Benin monarchy. Whatever the rider’s identity, his depiction as an equestrian signifies real or spiritual wealth and power.

Material: African bronze

Size: 9½”x 3”x 6½”

Price: $225+$31 (S&H)                                          [#N3B6B686]