19th Century African Bronze Sculpture of Musicians, Benin, Set of 2

Details

Description

MEASUREMENTS:
Guitar player: Height: 30.5 cm; Width: 17 cm; Depth: 9 cm;
Drum player: Height: 34 cm; Width: 11 cm; … Read more MEASUREMENTS:
Guitar player: Height: 30.5 cm; Width: 17 cm; Depth: 9 cm;
Drum player: Height: 34 cm; Width: 11 cm; Depth: 10.5 cm
Total weight: 4.07 kg

Item description:
A wonderful pair of solid bronze sculptures with a slightly gilded finish, made in Benin, Africa, in the second half of the 19th century. The bronze is solid and of excellent quality; in fact, when struck with a metal object, they resonate like a bell. The artistic quality of the two sculptures, made of very heavy solid bronze, is excellent. Consider that the pair weighs over 4 kg without any marble base. The dimensions are good, the pair is larger than it appears in the photos, considering that it exceeds 30 centimeters in height. The light brown, slightly gilded patina is of excellent quality. The patina covering the two sculptures is good, perfectly in line with our dating.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
Our research shows that African bronze sculptures from Benin are offered on various online art and antiques sales sites at very high prices if they are authentic. Thus, pairs of large heads can be found for well over €5,000, or pairs of standing warriors or rulers for over €7,000. There is also a wide variety of prices, from poor-quality reproductions offered at €150 to €300, to authentic bronzes of various sizes and periods ranging from a minimum of €500 to around €2,500. In particular, we found a sculpture of a musician playing a kind of large flute offered on Antikeo with the title "Importante statue en bronze du Bénin" (Important bronze statue from Benin), larger than our pair but a single sculpture, of similar quality
to that of our two musicians, offered at €1,200. (By entering the details of the items we have indicated into Google, especially the title of the auction or sale listing in the same language we used and the name of the auction house or sales website, you will, in most cases, be able to find and view the items).


This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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