A Benin Bronze warrior figure, cast in a copper alloy primarily composed of brass, produced by specialist guild artisans for the royal court of the Oba of Benin in present-day Nigeria. The figure exemplifies the refined metalworking traditions of the Benin Kingdom and served as both a ritual object and a historical record of court life, authority, and social hierarchy. It is depicted wearing a winged headdress, with wide, alert eyes, a broad nose, parted lips, and a neck encircled by coral bead regalia associated with rank and royal favor. Such figures were commonly commissioned for ancestral altars and ceremonial use, honoring revered ancestors and reinforcing continuity of kingship. Many works of this type were looted during the British invasion of Benin City in 1897 and today stand as enduring symbols of cultural loss and the ongoing movement for restitution of African heritage.
Omorogbe Aigbe, Bronze warrior figure; Bronze-cast (lost-wax), Private Collection, Benin City
HIGHPOLY MODEL INCLUDED IN ADDITIONAL FILES