Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.144
- 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
This is one of the Benin Plaques—brass reliefs that once adorned the royal palace in Benin City. Before you is a wide, rectangular plaque with decorative patterns etched into the background. Notice the intricate river leaf designs and the textured stippling that covers the surface.
Three figures stand at the center, each holding a different type of vessel—handled cup, shallow bowl, and a jug—with both hands. Their tall, tiered hairstyles feature coils of plaited hair, typical of court figures during this period. They wear beaded collars, armlets, anklets, and patterned skirts.
Made in the 16th–17th century using the lost wax method, these plaques are masterpieces of African craftsmanship. Originally mounted on pillars inside the palace, they give a rare glimpse into Benin court life and the visual culture of the Edo people.
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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