This bronze figure represents the head of a warrior. The discovery of the Benin bronzes dates from 1897, when a British punitive expedition stripped the city of Benin of many objects, which were carried to London. Soon after this expedition a newly elected oba (king) did everything to breathe new life into the old arts and was, up to a point, successful. The “Benin style” is a court art from the palace of the divine oba. The oba possessed a monopoly of bronze. The statues and plaques were highly prestigious objects and decorated the palace and the altar. The figures of warriors were often used as part of bronze groups or as independent statues and statuettes.