Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC (circa)
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1951,32.1
- 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.
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About this object
Before you stands a striking brass plaque from Benin City, part of a renowned collection known as the Benin Plaques. This plaque is rich with intricate details, showcasing a powerful warrior in mid-posture, brandishing a sword in one hand and a bow in the other. The figure is adorned with a wealth of regalia — a feathered headdress, leopard motifs, beaded necklaces, and layered body armor with dangling bells.
Cast using the lost-wax method, the plaque is decorated with ornate river leaf patterns, rosettes, and decorative stippling. Nail holes along its top and sides indicate it was once affixed to palace walls or pillars, possibly in pairs.
These plaques were part of the Oba’s palace decorations, created during the 16th to 17th centuries. They reflect the height of the Benin Kingdom’s artistic achievements and were crafted using highly refined metalworking techniques. Each one offers a vivid, sculptural record of court life and the rich 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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