Lot 405

AFRICAN TABLE IN THE ROYAL TRADITION OF BENIN

West Africa, Nigeria, probably the city of Benin in the Edo region, ca. 1930. A wooden table (known as an African table, or Milicia in Latin) in the spirit of the finest Beninese carving traditions of the association of young courtiers called "Omada." Members of this group were often skilled carvers, and the skillfully executed scene on the wooden panel is typical of the art of the Benin kingdom. The central figure is the king ("Oba"), surrounded by what appear to be members of his family, flanked by two pages.