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. Small long-haired European (Portuguese) figure in profile, facing inwards, at top left and partial figure at top right. Wears brimmed helmet with circular bosses, sleeveless doublet with patterend tunic below. Holds circular object in right hand. Background surface decorated with river leaf patterns and stippling. Depicts central standing warrior figure, facing front, holding barbed spear in right hand and shield on left arm with sword below. Wears tall conical headgear, deep beaded collar, leopard's tooth necklace, quadrangular bell on chest, bracelets and beaded anklets. Dressed in short-sleeved patterned tunic with ruff around sleeves and hem. Smaller scale figure on right, facing front, holds large eben sword aloft in right hand and holds capped bundle of short spears or arrows in left hand. Sword below left arm; sheath on left side. Figure has crested hairstyle with side plaits. Wears beaded necklace, baldric on chest, bracelets and patterned wrap-around skirt. Small scale hornblower on left, facing front, has centrally parted hairstyle with loose locks. Wears leopard's tooth necklcae, bracelets, baldric on chest and patterned wrap-around skirt. Sword under left arm; sheath on left side.
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 ~Read & Dalton 1899: Plaque made of bronze. Figure of a warrior, dressed in a long surcoat made of vertical cords, as if of feathers, with short sleeves, and fringed with small bells at the edges. He wears a tall conical head-dress, plain in front, but with overlapping scales at the sides, the collars of beads and leopards' teeth, and the broad anklets. The bell upon his breast passes through a hole in his surcoat. He carries in his left hand a shield, below which is visible the hilt of a sword. In his right hand is a barbed spear, but of a different type to those shown in Af1898,0115.35. At his right side is a small attendant, with his hair dressed in a crest, holding up in his right hand a large ceremonial knife (Cf.. Af1898,0115.18 and Af1898,0115.51). In his left hand is a sheaf of spears with a cap over the points. The corresponding figure on the opposite side is similarly clothed, though his hair is parted in the middle, and he is blowing a horn. In the upper corners are two busts of long-haired Europeans without beards, like those seen in Af1898,0115.21; that on the right holding up in his right hand a disc containing concentric circles, the other imperfect.
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Pastexhibition history Exhibited: 1965, Oxford, Pitt Rivers Museum, Art from the Guinea Coast 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 1993-1997, London, Museum of Mankind, Great Benin: a West African Kingdom