Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.113
- 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
Before you is a bronze plaque from Benin City, created in the 16th to 17th century. The plaque shows two courtiers in elaborate royal attire—helmets adorned with horsehair and feathers, leopard's tooth necklaces, and decorative armor. They hold gongs and mallets, suggesting a ceremonial or musical function.
Cast using the lost-wax technique, this plaque was originally one of many that decorated the Oba’s palace. These works are part of a remarkable artistry unique to the Benin Kingdom, often depicting court life and important historical events.
Each plaque shows careful detail in texture and relief, with patterns like river leaf designs enriching the background. The holes show where it would have been mounted in the palace structure.
Like many plaques, this one came to the UK after British forces entered Benin City in 1897, bringing countless works of art to global collections. Today, they remain powerful symbols of a flourishing court culture.
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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