Hornblower Figure, 16th century — Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

Cast brass figure of a hornblower (ikpèkhò), 16th century CE, Kingdom of Benin. The hornblower is a royal musician in the Oba's court retinue, depicted with a side-blown horn (aken) held to the mouth. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art held multiple Benin Bronzes and in October 2022 became the first major US institution to restitute objects to Nigeria — returning 29 Benin objects, including hornblower figures, to the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.