The Benin artifacts
How a 700-year-old portrait sculpture made in what is now Nigeria changed the way people think about the Benin artifacts.
The Benin Bronzes Provenance
some of Africa's greatest treasures
which were mostly created in the 13th to 16th centuriesdentifying them with the slightly different alloy of copper. Ife Head Sculptures. In the 1950s prices started at around £5,500 and in 2007, Sotheby's sold a Benin head sculpture for $4.7 million. The winning bidder later went on to purchase another piece for $13.8 million in a private sale. Today, Bronzes continue to be sold at auction usually by anonymous sellers.