During the British expeditionto Benin City (Edo) in 1897 objects made of brass, bronze, ivory, coral, and wood were looted by British soldiers from the royal palace, its storerooms, and compounds. Some of these objects were sold or exchanged in West Africa. However, many were brought to the UK where they were retained by soldiers of the expeditionand subsequently inherited by thier families; put up for auction; or donated, lent, or sold to museums. See Collection File: Af1897,-.498-563.
Read & Dalton 1899: The design is very smooth from wear ; it consists of eight rows (shown vertically in the plate) of repetitions of two figures, five in each row ; they appear to represent the face of a leopard alternating with that of a European. The oblique eyes and whiskers of the animal are in some cases very clear. The same design appears very distinctly, both on the bell (Fig. 9) and on the bronze panel (PI. XXIX., Fig. 6). The head of the European is even more rudimentary, but will be more readily understood if compared with the standing figure of a European at the base of the carved tusk (PI. VII., Fig. 3), where the head-dress is the same. (Cf. p. 15, Figs. 4 and 6). Small holes are pierced between the figures