Benin Plaques
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Benin City
- Date: 16thC-17thC
- Object type: plaque
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1898,0115.123
- 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
In this work called "Benin Plaques," you'll notice a striking brass plaque that's both rich in detail and deeply symbolic. At the top left and right are two stylized crocodile heads, while at the bottom are profiled mudfish. The background is filled with swirling river leaves and dots.
The central figure is a standing courtier, holding a circular rattle in his outstretched hands. He is richly adorned with bead necklaces, armlets, a feathered cap, and a detailed sash. This plaque, crafted with the lost-wax method, dates back to the 16th to 17th century in Benin City.
These plaques once decorated the Oba’s palace, displayed on wooden pillars. Many were made as part of pairs and show scenes from court life and rituals. The plaques are part of a unique artistic tradition, made by the Edo people.
This piece, like many others, was acquired following the British Expedition to Benin in 1897, when many were taken and later donated to or acquired by museums like ours.
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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