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. Wide plaque, rectangular in form with side flanges. Background surface decorated with river leaf patterns and stippling. Two nail holes at top, two holes at bottom. Depicts battle scene with two Benin warriors accompanied by a drummer and hornblower. Foreign captive on horseback. Central high-ranking warrior, in semi-profile, bearded and wearing headgear with front plate and horsetail behind, leopard's tooth necklace, quadrangular bell, body armour, bracelets, arm bands and patterned wrap-around skirt. Holds umozo sword in right hand and holds captive with left. Second warrior, drummer and hornblower similarly attired, but without beards. Second warrior, in semi-profile, at top right carries bunch of spears or staffs? in left hand. Drummer, in semi-profile, beats cylindical drum. Hornblower, facing front, blows side-blown horn. Captive sits astride horse, in semi-profile. Wears patterned helmet with peak and side flaps, leopard's tooth necklace. bracelets, arm bands and a pouch suspended from neck. Deep gash across chest, scarification marks on face. Holds spear in left hand.
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. 47; BM Af1898,0115.48; 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. ~Read & Dalton 1899: A similar scene [to Af1898,0115.47], in which the relative positions of captor and captive are much as in Af1898,0115.48, the head-dress of the former resembling that in Af1898,0115.47. On his sword is a figure of a ceremonial knife, and from his right side hangs a pouch. The prisoner has a deep diagonal cut across the chest, which may represent a wound. He wears a collar of leopards' teeth and a pouch hanging upon his breast. His dagger and peculiar hat with ear-flaps resemble those of the small figure in the right-hand upper corner of Af1898,0115.48. Of the three smaller figures standing behind the victor, all of whom are dressed very much like him, the two lower are playing upon a drum and horn respectively, while the third holds in his left hand a sheaf of spears.
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Pastexhibition history Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 1993-1997, London, Museum of Mankind, Great Benin: a West African Kingdom