Benin Bronze Warriors on Horseback Vintage West African Art

Figures were placed on altars in shrines or displayed at special ceremonies. Leaders and ancestors were often displayed on horseback to support their status as great warriors or leaders. Several are depicted in colonial wear.  They depict and honor warriors, hunters and rulers with their entourages in impressive sculptural form.

Bronze pieces from the Benin kingdom are known the world over. Almost all their art was created to honor the king , or Oba, who has reigned, with his ancestors, from the 15th century. Styles have changed over the years. Although similar to many older works, these are all 20th C. pieces. Figures that do not depict the king show members of his court. These two horsemen are very similar, as are many examples of traditional art, but each was still sculpted by hand, then cast in bronze by the lost wax process.

While the collection is known as the Benin Bronzes, like most West African "bronzes" the pieces are mostly made of brass of variable composition.  The metal pieces were made using lost-wax casting and are considered among the best sculptures made using this technique.

Museum quality, Benin bronze warriors on horseback figures, sold as a pair

Fig. 1 spear  10" x 14" x 5.25"

Fig. 2: broadsword 10" x 14" x 5.25"

Weight: 19 lbs./set

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