Benin court art National Museum in Szczecin

Bronze sculpture of the Queen Mother (Iyoba) made in the technique of lost wax. The sculpture commemorates the deceased mother of one of the rulers of Benin and was cast at his court at the end of the 18th century or at the beginning of the 19th century. The bronze sculpture of Iyoba is one of several dozen objects of this type from the Late Period (the second half of the 18th century - the 19th century) art of Benin and preserved in museums and private collections around the world. The art of Benin includes works created during the functioning of the state with that name in today's Nigeria from around the 13th century to 1897. Most of Benin's art objects were removed from the capital of this country after its conquest by the British in 1897 or destroyed. Works from the kingdom of Benin are among the most valuable cultures in Black Africa in the history of art. They are also one of the most recognizable objects of ancient African art.