Benin Bronze Royal Guard

The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand commemorative pieces that decorated the royal palace of the Benin Empire

Tribe: Benin

Origin: Benin, Nigeria

Approx Age: 19th-early 20th Century

Materials: Bronze

Dimensions cm: 37 tall

Ref. Number: knpc

£2400.00

Description:
A very old Benin bronze royal guard which has been cast extremely well. This has a slightly encrusted patina with oxification here and there. The casting shows all the royal embellishments a guard to the Oba would have worn and stands beautifully, this is also a very heavy statue for its size. 

History

The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand commemorative pieces that decorated the royal palace of the Benin Empire in the present modern-day Nigeria. Benin art was created by the Edo people starting in the thirteenth century, and included other sculptures in brass or bronze, with some famous portrait heads and smaller pieces.In 1897, the British took most of them during a revenge invasion. Two hundred of the pieces were taken to the British Museum in London, while the rest were split among other museums. Today, a large number are held by the British Museum and are on display in hall 25 (in the Africa wing). Other royal Benin pieces are in Museums in Germany and the United States, among other countries. 

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