An early 19th Century Benin Figure of an African Slave

12.1/2in. (32 cm) high

Condition: No obvious issues.

Price: POA

The modern nation of Benin was a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade, with African kingdoms like Dahomey and the coastal trading ports (part of the region known as the "Slave Coast") playing a significant role in capturing and selling enslaved people to European merchants. In the early 18th century, the Kings of Dahomey became major players in the trade. They waged war on neighboring peoples to capture people, who were then sold to European traders. King Tegbesu, around 1750, reportedly earned a significant annual income from the trade. The Kingdom of Whydah was a major slave trading center on the coast before being conquered by Dahomey in 1727. It exported over a million African slaves. Powerful local chiefs and merchants within these kingdoms were the primary agents who captured people (often from rival tribes) and brought them to the coastal trading posts where they were sold to European buyers.