Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.58
- 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.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
In front of you is "Benin Plaques," a striking brass relief from Benin City, created between the 16th and 17th centuries. The plaque is rectangular, with elaborate side flanges and a surface decorated with stylized patterns of river leaves and small dots. Two standing figures dominate the scene. Both wear tall conical headdresses, beaded collars, leopard’s tooth necklaces, and patterned tunics with snake designs at the front. Each holds a ceremonial sword in their right hand, and they are adorned with armlets and beaded anklets.
This plaque belonged to a set that once adorned the palace of the Oba, or king, of Benin. Using the lost-wax method, these plaques capture scenes of royal life or historical events. They are among the finest examples of royal art from the Edo people, reflecting the kingdom's complex artistic traditions.
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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