Bidspirit auction | Cast Bronze Royal Court Scene,

Cast Bronze Royal Court Scene, Benin or Yoruba People, Nigeria, mid-20th century - Intricately cast bronze vessel featuring a detailed ceremonial court scene surmounting a cylindrical base richly ornamented with relief and geometric motifs. The removable lid depicts a royal figure shaded beneath a parasol, surrounded by attendants, musicians, and guards arranged in circular procession—a classic depiction of royal homage or courtly ritual seen in Benin and Yoruba bronzework. The base itself bears spiral and figural reliefs, and the entire piece was executed in the traditional lost-wax (cire perdue) technique, producing fine textural variation and expressive individuality among the figures. Surface displays an aged brown-black patina with areas of verdigris and oxidation, consistent with traditional alloy composition and mid-20th-century casting. Two-part construction (lid and vessel body). Approx. 14½ in. H, 7 in. W, 7 in. D. Condition: Good overall with minor casting imperfections, oxidation, and small losses consistent with age and handling.