For nearly four hundred years the magnificent African kingdom of Benin flourished in present-day Nigeria. Divine kings, or obas, dominated almost every aspect of their subjects' political, religious, and social lives. Only kings could commission bronze works, so the art of casting bronze served to heighten the immense authority of the royal family. That power ended in the late 19th century when British troops destroyed Benin's capital city.

Equestrian Figure	Oba Supported by Attendants