This catalogue, called "Benin, Five Centuries of royal art", was produced by the Museum für Völkerkunde (ethnology museum) in Vienna, and provides a survey of the artistic masterpieces of the royal court of Benin, which was situated south of present-day Nigeria.

This reference book comprises more than 500 pages and was published to accompany the huge retrospective exhibition. It includes a presentation on local traditions in Nigeria, and provides an account of recent research in this field, while offering an analysis of the objects in the exhibition, that includes historical and cultural, symbolic and iconographic aspects that are of crucial importance to the identity of the Kingdom of Benin.

It provides a perfect mirror to the exhibition, which brings together, for the first time in Europe, collections that are principally based in the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria. Taken as a whole, these artworks constitute a remarkable historical unity that offers a huge panorama of the art and culture of the Kingdom of Benin.

Magnificent bronzes and ivory sculptures, which represent some of mankind’s greatest treasures and constitute major items from museums around the world, have been placed at the heart of the exhibition, which included maps, manuscripts and travellers’ chronicles, all of which give the reader an idea of the immense wealth of Nigeria’s past.

Description

536 pages • 24,5 x 29,5 cm • 55 €
Published by the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
ISBN 978-2-915133-62-2