Empowering Benin: Osun, Art, and an Illuminating Lost Work

My discovery of an early photo of an unknown Benin Kingdom piece has implications beyond its unusual features. Linked to other works associated with Osun, the deity of medicine, it not only clarifies the salient and previously unexplored features of those works, it includes a stylistic link to one of the earliest known bronzes, suggesting a broader repertoire of works than previously known. This article explores an aspect in my upcoming, ongoing Benin art book. I was invited to submit, as were other American and European scholars, but it was blind peer-reviewed by American scholars, despite its Nigerian publication. This was an effort by an American Fulbright Scholar to improve the journal's international contributions and reputation.