MAK 1122-11 Djenne ‘Thoughtful’ bronze figure, Mali Among the earliest known examples of art from sub-Saharan Africa are bronze figures like this one from the inland delta of the Niger River, near the current home of the Dogon and Bamana peoples. The figure shows a person seated, with the left arm supporting the raised leg, … Continue reading Djenne Bronze →

CMK 0406-09 Royal Ife Bronze Head, Yoruba, Nigeria. This impressive bronze Ife head is a demonstration of a sophisticated sculpture culture found among the Yoruba people of Ife in Nigeria and depicts a royal figure of Ile-Ife’s heraldic branch of the royal family. Probably from the Yoruba Oyo royal family, part of the Bini royal … Continue reading Ife Bronze →

CMK 0406-8  Ife Bronze Head of a Ruler, Yoruba, Nigeria. This magnificent bronze head is strikingly very similar to that of the bronze head displayed in the British Museum in London which imagines Ife Head of a Ooni Ruler (Nigeria 1400-1500 CE). History tells that this royal head from Ife (Ile-Ife) acted as effective symbolic … Continue reading Ife Bronze →

  CMK 0307-03a Benin Bronze Leopard Head, Benin, Nigeria The Benin people of Nigeria believe that the Benin leopard is a symbol of justice as well as a strong animal that has royal qualities. And just as the Leopard is believed to rule over Savannah, so the King of Oba wants to be compared to … Continue reading Benin Bronze →

ANK 0517-12  Ife Bronze Head of Young Girl, Yoruba, Nigeria This rare and delicately molded miniature bronze head depicting a beautiful young girl’s face. Her hair is neatly arranged in many small braids and a larger headband. This unusual and stunningly beautiful little bronze head originates from the small West African kingdom of Ife which … Continue reading Ife Bronze →

  ANK 0517-13  Ife Bronze Male Head, Yoruba, Nigeria This rare and unusual small bronze head with a stunning personal expression originates from the small West African kingdom of Ife, which was founded in the 13th century deep in the West African rainforests and belongs to Yoruba who is still the largest people in Nigeria … Continue reading Ife Head →

  CMK 0406-2 Benin Bronze Plaque, Nigeria. This type of Benin-bronze plates which display a high rank person guarded by two guards, in its time consisted of several thousand plates that lined and decorated the royal palace in the kingdom of Benin, which is now present-day Nigeria. Royal Benin Bronze Plaques lake this can be … Continue reading Bronze Plaque →

  Small Benin Bronze Leopard. This small but expressive bronze leopard created using the Lost-wax process, also called cire-perdue, method of metal casting in which a molten metal is poured into a mold that has been created by means of a wax model. These bronze leopards have partly been ornaments of the court but also used … Continue reading Bronze Leopards →

ANK 0517-11 Ife Bronze Head of a Royal Person, Yoruba, Nigeria. This beautiful and very rare, proportionate small but powerful Ife bronze head with an advanced, bearded chin and a solemn expression imagines a prince of the Ife kingdom. Which portrait filled its place in the row among the ‘royal portraits of the royal palace’. … Continue reading Ife Bronze →

  ANK 0517-9   Ife Bronze Head of a Royal Person, Yoruba, Nigeria. This unusual and stunningly beautiful little bronze head originates from the small West African kingdom of Ife which originated in the 13th century deep in the West African rainforests and belongs to Yoruba which is still the largest people in Nigeria (not to … Continue reading Ife Bronze →

VRK 0217-1   Benin Dwarf “Court Jester”, bronze, Edo People, Nigeria Dwarfs have a very specific role at the court of Oba in Benin. They functioned as court jesters in Benin since the 15th century. Their responsibilities go beyond amusement to include the care of certain shrines, overseeing activities in the market, gathering information for the … Continue reading Benin Bronze →

CRK 0512-1 Benin Style Bronze Head displaying Queen Idia, Mother of Oba Esigie, Nigeria This bronze commemorative heads were once placed on altars are dedicated to past Iyobas (queen mothers). The most distinctive feature of this head is the marvelous high, forward-pointing headdress, which is a version of the elaborate coiffure known as “chicken-beak” worn … Continue reading Bronze QUEEN →

CMK 0307-03c Benin Bronze Leopard Head, Benin, Nigeria This dramatic and at the same time beautiful bronze leopard head is a royal icon and were often used as royal water vessels. Water was poured from the mouth over the Oba’s hands in cleansing rituals. Or they were kept on royal altars. TheBeninKingdomwasstrongthroughoutthe15thand16thCenturiesandwaslocatedinWestAfricaborderingwhatisnowNigeriaandTogo.BeninClanswereruledbyaKing,whowasknownastheObaandwhowasthedivineruleroftheBeninpeople.ThepeopleofBeninarecalledBiniandaredescendedfromtheIfepeoples.ThemakingsoftheseBeninbronzeswerestrictlyconsideredcourtartandweremadeexclusivelyforthepalaceoftheObaandweredesignedtoveneratetheachievementsandmemoriesoftheObasandtheirQueensalsocalledIyobasorQueenMotherswhoruledthroughoutthetimeofthekingdom. The bronze founders … Continue reading Bronze Leopard →

ANK 0517-3 Ife Royal Odududwa Bronze Head, Nigeria This Ife bronze head from the Yoruba people of western Nigeria is an excellent example of their handiwork. The Yoruba reached their artistic pinnacle between 1100 – 13oo AD. This bronze cast represents Odududwa, who is said to be the progenitor of the Yoruba people. The head … Continue reading Bronze Head →

  CWK 0119-3 Couple of Royal Dwarfs, “Court Jester” Bronze – Ife Edo Benin (Bini), Benin, Nigeria. This is a couple of dwarfs who lived and acted as court jester at the Royal Ogiso court in the former Benin, now part of Nigeria. Court jester, or “fool”, was historically an entertainer at the Royal court. … Continue reading Benin Bronze →

  LCC 1116-3 Benin Royal Equestrian Bronze Figure, Nigeria Lack of written records from many lost African kingdoms makes it difficult to identify the exact meaning of a work; in this case, the true identity of the bronze mule and rider. The figure, which may represent a defeated king or warrior from another culture, could … Continue reading Bronze Equestrian →

  HMK 0620-1    Benin Leopard Bronze Pair, Nigeria The Benin Kingdom was strong throughout the 15th and 16th Centuries and was located in West Africa bordering what is now Nigeria and Togo. Benin Clans were ruled by a King which was known as the Oba and who was the divine ruler of the Benin people. … Continue reading Benin Bronze →

LCK 1015-9   U-Shaped Relief Plaque with Oba and Attendant, Ife, Benin, Nigeria The focal point of this unusual U-shaped relief is an Oba (king of Benin) supported by two attendants, or enobore. Presumably, the elongation of the Oba’s legs in the form of hingemouth fish (cf. Fagg, 1963) is meant to emphasize his divinity, for … Continue reading Bronze Relief →

LCK 0604-20  Pair of Benin Bronze Royal Leopard, Nigeria These two exceptionally beautiful seated male leopards have probably been placed as guards at the Royal Palace as an emphasis on both its own exalted positions and responsibilities.   In African culture the leopard is traditionally known as the Great Watcher, and is a symbol for … Continue reading Bronze Leopards →