**First Time At Auction**

West Africa, southern Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Edo peoples, ca. 20th century CE. A fabulous brass sculpture of a standing figure, likely a former Oba (king), in a dignified stance as he grasps a lozenge-shaped staff or mace in one hand and places the other on his hip. Bare-chested, the royal gazes forth from huge eyes, wearing a short kilt, a thick collar necklace with a chain that drapes across his chest and back, and a diadem. Benin bronzes, like this example, were created from at least the 16th century onwards in the West African Kingdom of Benin, by specialist guilds working for the royal court of the Oba in Benin City. Many pieces were commissioned specifically for the ancestral altars of past Obas and Queen Mothers. They were also used in other rituals to honour the ancestors and to validate the accession of a new Oba. Size: 2.4" W x 6.6" H (6.1 cm x 16.8 cm)

Though the metal composition of this piece is consistent with that of brass, examples like this have traditionally been referred to as bronzes. Joseph Nevadomsky and Natalie Lawson explain in "The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb" that "That problem is complex. Keep the following in mind. First is that Benin cast artifacts are typically called "Benin bronzes" but they are now referred to as brass; the composition of a sample of objects at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C., ranged 'from 64 to 94% copper, 0 to 7% tin, 1 to 17% lead, and 0 to 16% zinc' as well as 'small quantities of arsenic, silver, antimony, and nickel' with iron at 0.4 to 5% Schrenk [1] Copper alloy is the correct designation, but Benin 'bronze' became equated with royal art from Europe early on and stuck for a century at least while brass is now commonly used by art historians." (Joseph Nevadomsky, Natalie Lawson. The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb. Open Access J Arch & Anthropol. 1(5): 2019. OAJAA.MS.ID.000525.)

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Zemanek collection, November 16, 2019; ex-British collection; AHDRC object ao-0167026

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#177018

Small loss to base near right foot and expected surface wear, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice patina throughout.