Object History Note / Acquisition Notedescription, provenance, notes Following the British occupation of Benin City (Edo) in 1897 objects made of brass, ivory and wood were looted by British forces from the royal palace, its storerooms and compounds. Some of these objects were sold or exchanged on the coast. However, many were brought to the UK where they were sold through private auction, donated to museums, or retained by soldiers of the expedition The British Museum successfully petitioned the government to secure some of the relief plaques and over 300 were sent to the UK by the Consul-General [Sir] Ralph Moor and placed at the Foreign Office. During the summer of 1897 the Crown Agents for the Colonies, on behalf of the Foreign Office, agreed a temporary loan of 304 plaques to the British Museum. In September these were placed on public display in the Assyrian basement where they attracted considerable public attention. The Museum initially received 203 of these plaques as a gift from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In the summer of 1898 a further eleven plaques were sent to the British Museum from the Foreign Office and three of these were selected by the Museum and were subsequently presented as a gift. Of the remaining plaques the Foreign Office retained eight and the rest were offered for sale to major museums, collectors and private dealers in Europe and the UK. Today over nine hundred plaques are known to exist in museums and private collections around the world. See Collection File: Af1898,0115.1-203 (previously Eth.Doc.185).
Physical descriptiondescription Relief plaque, lost-wax cast in brass. Narrow plaque, rectangular in form without side flanges. Background surface decorated with river leaf patterns and stippling. One nail hole at top, one hole at bottom. Depicts high-ranking warrior in part profile leading captured figure on horseback, facing front. Warrior wears tall headgear with front plate and horsetail hanging behind, leopard's tooth necklace, bracelets, protective armbands, quadrangular bell and patterned wrap-around skirt. Carries sword in right hand. Captive sits astride horse, wears rounded helmet, leopard faced body armour and tunic with ruffled border. Figure has facial scarification. Sear wiht point facing downwards between two figures.
The relief brass plaques that used to decorate the Oba's (king's) palace are among the most well-known of all the royal arts of Benin. Although frequently described as 'Benin Bronzes' most plaques are made of leaded brass in various compositions. It is widely accepted that they date to the 16th-17th centuries. In the years prior to the British Expeditionroyal influence in Benin was increasingly under threat from rival powers, both internal and external, with a focus on economic power and control of the important trading monopolies. However, the court and palace remained the political and spiritual centre of the Benin Kingdom. Earlier accounts written by Europeans visiting the city describe its size and scale. The palace complex was set up around atrium courtyards; some had galleries with wooden pillars supporting the roof. Brass plaques, probably made in matching pairs, were fixed to these pillars. The Benin brass plaques represent a distinct and unique corpus of work, unparalleled elsewhere on the continent. They are cast using the cire perdue (lost wax) technique and show significant variation in the depth of the relief. Some of the plaques portray historical events or commemorate successful wars, while others are a vivid depiction of Benin court life and ritual. Several groups of plaques show clear stylistic similarities. William B. Fagg suggested that these plaques represent the work of master brass casters. Fagg, William, 1973, 'Nigerian Images', London: Lund Humphries Gunsch, Kathryn, 2018, 'Benin plaques: a 16th century imperial monument', London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group ~One of six known plaques documenting battles with captured enemies. BM Af1898,0115. 48; BM Af1898,0115.49; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg: 1899.75, Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig: MAf 34549; former PRM collection, (current location unknown), Pitt-Rivers, 1900: pl.2, figs.5-6. ~Plankensteiner 2007: On this relief plaque a Benin warrior seems to lead a captive mounted on horseback on his triumphant return from battle. The plaque is part of a series depicting specific battle scenes from the 16th centuy. The facial scarification of the captive and his use of horses lead to the assumption that it might be a warrior from the north, possibly the Nupe region. It is interesting to note that a Benin warrior on a plaque fragment found in Benin in the 1920s wearing the same attire depicted here, has been identified to Talbot as ‘Iyashere of c.1430’, meaning as Iyase (Talbot 1926, III; fig. 144). The same headgear for warriors though is depicted on many plaques so it seems to have been used by a variety of soldiers. The long straight hear attached to the plate on the forehead could have been a horsetail divided in the middle and hanging down behind (von Luschan 1919: 158-159). Horsetails obviously were such a sought after item of rank, that Portuguese traders specifically included them in their trade goods for Benin (Ryder 1969: 40). A British trader, Randall Shaw, specified in his suggestions for trade in the region in 1582 that black horse tails should be part of the cargoes for Benin (Ryder 1969: 80).~The facial scarification of the captive and his use of horses are thought to indicate that he is a warrior from the north, possibly from the Nupe region.~Read & Dalton 1899: A similar scene [to Af1898,0115.48] but with only the two principal actors. Here the captor wears a head-dress like that in Af1898,0115.20, but with the eyes and mouth of a leopard represented in appliqué instead of bead-work. He has twisted metal armlets on the right arm, and holds his sword by the hilt. At his left side is suspended a circular bell. The prisoner wears a hemispherical hat, on the front of which is a raised trefoil.
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Pastexhibition history Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 2007 May-Sept, Vienna, Museum für Völkerkunde, Benin. Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria 2007-2008 Oct-Jan, Paris, Musée du quai Branly, Benin. Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria 2008 Feb-May, Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, Benin. Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria
Fair; missing top lrft corner, section from rigth side and bottom right corner. Slight chip from bottom left edge. Holes in centre of plaque in front of warrior's chin, between two figures and below horse.