Bronze Queen’s Head, Benin, Southern Nigeria, Africa

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Detail: The Benin Kingdom (in their artistic splendor in the 15th and 16th Centuries) was located in West Africa bordering Nigeria and Togo. Clans were subjected to an oba (king) rule and the making of these “Benin Style” bronzes were strictly “court art” from the palace of the oba. These bronzes had little in common with tribal art. The kingdom flourished until the late 1800’s. These “royal-style” bronzes were continued to be made with the same process. This piece is from the mid-1900s.