The Altar to the Hand (or Ikegobo).  

The one in our book (and shown to the right) is in the collection of the British Museum.  Read about it here.  

Other examples at the Metropolitan Museum in New York:  

• Oba with Animals (Ikegobo of Ezomo Ehenua) 
• Altar to the Hand (Ikegobo) 
• and another one, made of wood

Remember to consider how purpose, materials, imagery (iconography), and aesthetic values all relate to one another.  

Benin Bronzes and Ancestor Shrines

A Benin Royal Ancestor Shrine like the one shown here is not one art object, but a display involving a lot of specific art objects as well as ritual.

Useful resources on Benin and its art:

This page at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology is exceptionally good -- make sure to read this one!

The Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford) also has a good article about the Court Art of Benin

And the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (Metropolitan Museum of Art) has a lot of useful stuff:

• an overview of Benin & other nations in the region.
• an article on lost-wax casting (the casting technique used for Benin metalwork)
• an article on the history of Benin
• an article on Idia, the first Queen-Mother of Benin