This book aims to show that the royal objects from Benin in the British Museum illustrate all the vagiaries to which such deliberately solid and enduring works are subject. Since they became more widely known over a century ago, they have played a vital role in the challenging and revision of the West's most basic ideas about Africa. And, in a dialogue without finality, they continue to engage our unexamined assumptions about that continent and the West and, by implication, the role of museums in intercultural understanding.

WHEN THE PORTUGUESE MADE THE FIRST European contact with the West African kingdom of Benin in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the kingdom was experiencing a golden age. Its authority on the Guinea Coast was expanding through military conquests, and during the sixteenth century it became a leading power in the region and a major trade partner for European merchants. Benin remained an influential independent state and a major political and economic power on the coast,though with periods of decline and prosperity,until its conquest by the British in 1897.

The power structure of the Benin kingdom was entirely built around the oba (king), who held a divine right to rule. Craftsmen were organized in specialized guilds that worked in the palace producing exquisite works in brass, ivory, wood and beadwork exclusively for the oba and his royal court. The arrival of the Portuguese prompted the guilds to extend their output, producing works for both local and foreign tourists that combined African and Portuguese elements.

The arrival in Europe of the treasures from Benin produced an enormous sensation, causing a re-evaluation of and appreciation for African art.With stunning new photographs and close-up details of works in the collection of the British Museum, this book explores the art of Benin through themes such as kingship, women,Westerners and animals.

DIRECTOR'S FOREWORD

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION: BENIN IN HISTORY

HEADS AND HANDS IN BENIN HEARTS

KINGSHIP

THE COURT

THE RITUAL YEAR

WOMEN

ANIMALS

WESTERNERS

FURTHER READING

ILLUSTRATIONS