Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.42
- 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 brass relief plaque from Benin City, dating to the 16th or 17th century. You'll notice two crocodile heads at the top and bottom framing a central figure—the Oba, or king—standing with arms extended, supported by two attendants. The Oba is richly dressed with a beaded collar, armlets, and a crown that has a long oro protrusion. His skirt is decorated with more crocodile heads and features mask-like pendants.
The plaque’s surface is covered with a river leaf pattern and small dots, or stippling, which enhances its texture. Made using the lost-wax casting method, it reflects the advanced metalworking skills of the Edo people.
These plaques once adorned palace pillars, serving both decorative and symbolic purposes. They capture the grandeur of Benin court life and remain a remarkable example of royal artistry from the region.
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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