Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
I want to read the book!
All characters reduced
Benin Bronzes - cover

Benin Bronzes

Nakoa Rainfall

Translator A AI

Publisher: Publifye

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

Benin Bronzes explores the captivating history and legacy of the bronze castings from the Kingdom of Benin, now part of Nigeria. These artworks, far more than mere decorations, served as vital historical records, embodied religious practices, and reinforced royal authority. The book investigates the sophisticated lost-wax casting techniques employed by Benin artisans, highlighting their guilds and hereditary knowledge, enabling them to create plaques, heads, and figures imbued with symbolism of royal power.

 
The narrative unfolds in three parts, detailing the origins and evolution of Benin bronze casting, their socio-political role within the Kingdom, and the controversial British Punitive Expedition of 1897. This expedition led to the looting of the bronzes and their dispersal to Western museums, raising critical questions about cultural restitution and colonial looting. Historical accounts reveal these bronzes were displayed in the royal palace to legitimize the Oba's reign, demonstrating the integral link between art and power.

 
By examining archival documents, museum inventories, and oral traditions, the book adopts an interdisciplinary approach, blending art history with postcolonial studies to address the ethical dilemmas surrounding repatriation and cultural ownership. It offers a nuanced perspective on the ongoing debates, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in art history, cultural heritage, and the complex legacy of colonialism.
Available since: 03/19/2025.
Print length: 66 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • Whispers of a Wiser Mind - Calming Affirmations to Quiet Overthinking - cover

    Whispers of a Wiser Mind -...

    Moonlight Whispers

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Whispers of a Wiser Mind by Moonlight Whispers is a tranquil meditation on awareness — a journey through stillness where curiosity and calm walk hand in hand. Each affirmation opens a quiet door to thought, inviting wisdom to bloom without haste. This is not learning as effort, but understanding as peace — the gentle unfolding of insight within silence. Let your mind rest, expand, and remember the joy of simply knowing.
    Show book
  • Nurse and Spy in the Union Army - cover

    Nurse and Spy in the Union Army

    Sarah Emma Edmonds

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The “Nurse and Spy” is simply a record of events which have transpired in the experience and under the observation of one who has been on the field and participated in numerous battles—among which are the first and second Bull Run, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, the Seven days in front of Richmond, Antietam, and Fredericksburg—serving in the capacity of “Spy” and as “Field Nurse” for over two years.While in the “Secret Service” as a “Spy,” which is one of the most hazardous positions in the army—she penetrated the enemy’s lines, in various disguises, no less than eleven times; always with complete success and without detection.Her efficient labors in the different Hospitals as well as her arduous duties as “Field Nurse,” embrace many thrilling and touching incidents, which are here most graphically described. - Summary from the preface
    Show book
  • Aladdin and the Magic Lamp Aladino y la Lámpara Maravillosa - cover

    Aladdin and the Magic Lamp...

    Eric Suben

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Embark on a magical journey to a world of enchantment, adventure, and surprises with this timeless tale of “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.” Find out what happens when Aladdin rubs a magic lamp, and—Whoosh!  A genie appears. Will the Genie help Aladdin escape from the powers of the wicked wizard? Follow Aladdin as he outwits the wizard and wins the heart of a beautiful princess. Presented in both English and Spanish, this dual language story will engage young readers' imaginations with its captivating storyline and memorable characters.
    Show book
  • On the Shortness of Life - cover

    On the Shortness of Life

    Seneca

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    On the Shortness of Life is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, sometime around the year 49 AD, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that people waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives people enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time is best used by living in the present moment in pursuit of the intentional, purposeful life. 
Download this audio book and understand the true Stoic principles of lie!
    Show book
  • The Real Lolita - The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World - cover

    The Real Lolita - The Kidnapping...

    Sarah Weinman

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    “The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov’s masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness.” —David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon 
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. 
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita. 
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
    Show book
  • The Conservation of Natural Resources - cover

    The Conservation of Natural...

    Theodore Roosevelt

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Many consider Theodore Roosevelt to be America’s most conservation-minded president. Throughout his presidency, he worked to preserve endangered animals and their habitats. In this 1907 speech to Congress, he states, “The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.” Read this speech to experience Roosevelt’s conservationist fervor firsthand. 
    Show book