medievalpoc: Cast bronze figure of a Portuguese soldierEdo, Court of Benin (Nigeria) c. 1600sFigures
medievalpoc:Cast bronze figure of a Portuguese soldierEdo, Court of Benin (Nigeria) c. 1600sFigures of Europeans such as this Portuguese soldier were kept on royal altars or on the roof of the royal palace in Benin city. The Portuguese were represented in Benin art in various forms. Their arrival by sea and the bringing of luxury goods enabled the Portuguese travellers to be incorporated into Benin ideas associated with the god Olokun, ruler of the sea and provider of wealth. Legend has it that the Oba fought with Olokun on the beach, subdued him and stripped him of his wealth. The exhibition of European figures probably commemorated and celebrated this victory.-The British Museum -- source link
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