Catalogue card notes: "Bronze plaque with warrior in high relief, wearing helmet. Much of background and legs missing."
Added in second hand: "+ 8 ringed necklace"
Given by Frederick William Green, Honorary Keeper of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (1908–1949). The majority of 'bronze' items such as these in museum collections were collected on the 1897 Punitive Expeditionto Benin. This is likely to be the origin of this work but there is no documentation on Green's acquisition.
The Webster sale number suggests it was sold by Bicester dealer William Webster at some stage probably between 1898- 1901, but the number has not yet been connected to a specific auction
Catalogue card reads, in blue ink: "50.272 | Africa | Nigeria / Bronze plaque with warrior in high relief, wearing helmet. Much of back-ground + legs missing. / Benin. / F.W. Green bequest."
In second hand and black biro, after "helmet": "+8-ringed helmet"
Red circular sticker on bottom right of card.
In January 2017, Prof. Marcos Martinon-Torres and Agnese Benzonelli, UCL Institute of Archaeology, tested this idno using a portable XRF as part of a programme of base metal analysis of Benin material. The object was tested twice and the results are as follows: 1) Cu: 72.31%; Zn: 9.02%; Sn: 0.64%; Pb: 15.75%. 2) Cu: 74.38%; Zn: 10.08%; Sn: 0.66%; Pb: 12.93%.
It was noted that most plaques are thought to be cast 1550-1610, Riederer alloy D2? At the higher end of the Pb spectrum.