Holding a notched club in his right hand and clutching a flask, which hangs around his neck, this standing male has African features (particularly Yoruba) and wears a Portuguese style hat that is peaked at both ends. His long skirt stops at the hips leaving the legs, lower portion of the buttocks, and genitals exposed. Though his arms are curved in an “elastic” manner, the legs are straight and feet firmly planted on the base. The first contact with Benin by Portuguese explorers occurred in 1486, thus commencing a long relationship based in trade. Images of these Europeans were incorporated in Benin art as early as the 16th Century, in part intended to denote the power of the king whose wealth derived from foreign trade. The fascination of this figure is demonstrated in the blending of European characteristics with African stylistic features in a manner that reveals noble elements of both.