Court Dwarf
Replica Size: H 29.5 cmReplica: artificial stone, painted, base
Original: 59x25x18 cm, Brass
Benin Kingdom, Nigeria 14th-15th century
Inv-Nr: 64.745
The WMW owns two Court Dwarfs which are worldwide unparalleled and are among the earliest artworks from the Benin Kingdom. Thanks to their true-to-life naturalism, they are considered exquisite samples of the early style of court art. They were probably once placed on a royal ancestral altar. As court dwarfs are not part of the standard inventory of such shrines, we may assume that these examples depict two historich individuals who had played an important role during the reign of a 15th century ruler.