Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.114
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
This brass plaque comes from Benin City, a place famous for its rich artistic heritage. The piece was cast using the ancient lost-wax method, a highly skilled technique. It shows two courtiers in full ceremonial dress—look closely at the patterned skirts, feathered helmets, and leopard motifs that highlight their status.
Made in the 16th to 17th centuries, these plaques once adorned the royal palace of the Oba, or king. They show scenes of court life, capturing a moment of ritual or ceremony. The use of brass with intricate detailing reflects the advanced metalworking craft of the Edo people.
Each plaque is unique, often created in pairs to be placed on palace pillars. They remain among the most striking examples of Benin's royal art, depicting not only the grandeur of the palace but also the sophistication of the culture that created them.
See it in person
Benin Plaques is on display in Room 25 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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