Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC; 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.99
- 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 Benin Plaque, a stunning brass work crafted using the lost-wax method in Benin City sometime between the 16th and 17th centuries. The plaque is rectangular with decorative side flanges, its surface covered in intricate river leaf patterns and tiny dots.
Centered on the piece are two identical figures, standing tall with their arms raised. Each holds a sword in the right hand and a shield in the left. They wear elaborate headdresses, deep beaded collars, and armlets, as well as armor decorated with leopard faces. These figures likely represent royal attendants or warriors.
Brass plaques like this once adorned the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom, serving as both decoration and political statements, often depicting court life or important events. They were made using a highly advanced casting process and were closely tied to the authority of the king. These remarkable artworks remain a testament to the rich artistic and cultural traditions 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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