Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.196
- 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 plaque from Benin City, crafted in brass through the lost-wax method. The narrow, rectangular form is covered in a pattern of river leaves and small dots, with two nail holes suggesting it was once attached to a structure.
The plaque features a single mudfish in high relief, shown in profile and turning left. Details like the ringed eye, pectoral fins, and a uniquely shaped tail make this a strikingly realistic depiction. The fish's head is marked with crosshatching, while the rest of the body displays a complex pattern of interlocking scales.
These brass plaques were once part of the royal palace, probably hung in pairs along wooden pillars, adding both beauty and meaning to the space. They reflect the technical mastery and artistic skill of Edo craftsmen in the 16th to 17th centuries.
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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