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 centre and left; three holes at bottom at centre and right and left corners. Depicts central Osuan figure, facing front, holding flexible switch in right hand. Mark along nose. Wears basketry cap with oro protrusion, beaded necklace, crossed beaded baldric, and beaded anklets. Dressed in patterned wrap-around skirt. Flanking figure on right has tiered hairstyle with bead at forehead. Wears deep beaded collar, Malteses cross on cord round neck, bracelets and beaded anklets. Dressed in patterned wrap-around skirt. Flanking figure on left wears domed helmet, deep beaded collar, beaded baldric, bracelets and beaded anklets. Dressed in patterned wrap-around skirt. Holds sword in left hand. Three smaler scale retainers above. Central figure carries ekpokin container. Wears beaded cap, beaded collar, bracelets and patterned wrap-around skirt. Two flankng figures wear caps with feathers on left side, leopard's tooth necklaces, cartridge belts across chest, wrap-around skirts. Hold swords 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 ~Plankensteiner 2007: This multifigure plaque shows Chief Osuan with a magic branch as the central figure with attendants of comparatively lower status than him. The items of costume and regalia on the plaque, in particular the palm frond worn by the attendants identify the central figure as Chief Osuan. He wears a basketry cap with a tall projection, a collar and crossed baldrics of beads. In many representations he carries an 'ada' sword and a magic branch, while his attendants carry the ritual paraphernalia. There is a proverb in Benin that says 'it is only Osa and Osuan that know what is in the palm frond,' as they were sometimes depicted in conflicts with palm frond Chief Osian was one of the state priests in charge of the state (royal) god of Uwen, and the two attendants flanking him on the left and right were probably the notable diviners who performed rituals and sacrifices at its shrine. The state gods, Uwen and Ora, were concerned with rain, sun, air and the fertility of the soil, all crucial to the well-being of the kingdom. This plaque illustrates the importance of Chief Osuan in Benin state religion, given his powers to communicate with the royal ancestors. Osa and Osuan featured prominently with the Oba during Ague festivals as depicted in other comparable plaques.~Read & Dalton 1899: Group of three persons, over the heads of whom are three smaller figures. The central personage, who holds a rod in his right hand, wears a head-dress similar in shape to those seen in Af1898,0115.42, and a loin-cloth with extended end reaching to the level of the head. Over the breast are crossed bands of beadwork, round the neck a string of large fusiform beads, possibly of agate, and broad bead anklets with pendent fringes. In addition to the three vertical cicatrices over each eye he has a raised mark from the centre of the forehead to the point of the nose, like one of the smaller figures in Af1898,0115.86. The figure on his right is dressed in a similar way to the rider in Af1898,0115.45, but wears a Maltese cross suspended on his breast. The corresponding figure on his left is dressed in a rather similar manner, but has a shoulder-strap supporting his sword, and a hemispherical hat like those in Af1898,0115.16. Of the three smaller persons in the upper part of the panel, the central figure is a musician beating a small hand-drum (Cf.Af1898,0115.86), while the two others are attendants with short swords and elaborate baldrics, and with their hair dressed as in Af,0115,78.~Blurton, 1997 Brass was intimately associated with kingship in the Benin empire and plaques, cast by the lost-wax process, were used to cover the wooden beams that supported the roof in the royal palace, the centre of religious activities that controlled the well-being of the entire empire. Those seen here show scenes of court life and ritual which involve rulers, warriors and officials. Naked figures are royal pages, their nudity contrasting with the splendid cloth and coral-bead costumes of royalty. Depictions of the European adventurers and traders, who sold the metal from which the plaques were cast, also appear and local interest centred on their long hair, hooked noses, dress and weapons. Since they were seen as messengers of the god Olokun, a white-faced deity who sends wealth and children over the sea, their presence in the palace is probably less a celebration of their own wealth and power than those of the Oba (king), who is said to have defeated Olokun in battle, stripping him of his riches and finery.
Exhibitions Loans and Displays - Current and Pastexhibition history Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa 1997 13 Oct-1998 5 Jan, India, New Delhi, National Museum, The Enduring Image 1998 9 Feb-3 May, India, Mumbai, Sir Caswasjee Jahangir Hall, The Enduring Image 2003, Apr-Sep, BM, 'Museum of the Mind: Art and Memory in World Cultures' 2003 Oct, Japan, Setagaya Art Museum, Art and Memory 2003 18 Oct-14 Dec, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2004 17 Jan-28 Mar, Kobe City Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2004 10 Apr-13 Jun, Fukuoka Art Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2004 26 Jun-29 Aug, Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2005 11 Apr-10 Jul, Seoul Arts Centre, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2005 25 Jul-8 Oct, Busan Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2005 27 Oct-2006 31 Jan, Haengso Museum, Keimyung University, Daegu, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2006 18 Mar-4 Jun, Beijing, Capital Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 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 2008 Jun-Sept, Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Benin. Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria 2009 1 May-20 Sep, Victoria, Royal BC Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures 2009 11 Dec-2010 10 May, Madrid, Canal de Isabel II, Treasures of the World’s Cultures 2012 April-July, Manarat Al Saadiyat,Abu Dhabi, Treasures of the World's Cultures