Standing warrior holding sword, bronze. Statue has been mounted at a later date to a 7.5 cm high, 7.3 cm square hardwood base. Male stands with right arm bent forward, holding up a sword with rounded tip. Left hand is clasped to the stomach. Large oval eyes have thick lids, cheeks have folds of skin and nostrils are widely flared. Costume includes a loose circular neckband, and jacket which hangs to the knees and has diagonal folds crisscrossing chest and back. Spherical container hangs from waist beneath left elbow. Headdress extending up slightly beyond crown of head has protruding oblong object at the rear of the head and clusters of small spheres on the brow band. Feet extend into square base, part of which is missing. Bronze surface is dull brown and corroded; weight indicates statue may be solid metal.
Benin Kingdom (Nigeria) In the 13th or 14th century, a state emerged in what today is Nigeria. By the 15th century, this state had become the powerful Benin Kingdom, with divine kingship at the centre of its political, religious and social life. Art was mainly created to honour the royal ancestors and the king (Oba) and, only with the king’s permission, for the chiefs and priests of the kingdom. Artists who worked for the king were his special dependants and derived their inspiration from the same supernatural powers that conferred kingship.