How many Benin plaques are there?
There are around 900 objects from the historic Kingdom of Benin in the British Museum’s collection. Over 100 can be seen in a permanent changing display within the Museum’s galleries. Objects from Benin are also lent regularly around the world.
What is the difference between Ife and Benin?
– apart from bronze, Ife art included terra-cotta and stone while Benin art included ivory and wood. – Ife heads and figures have profuse scarification while Benin heads and masks have marks on their forehead. – Most Benin art works are stylized while Ife art works are naturalistic.
How many Benin Bronzes are there?
Approximately 170 of these sculptures exist, and the oldest date from the twelfth century. The oba, or king, monopolized the materials that were most difficult to obtain, such as gold, elephant tusks, and bronze.
Where were the many Benin brass plaques originally located?
Many of the plaques now in The British Museum were collected during the British Punitive Expedition in 1897. They are thought to have been made in matching pairs and fixed to pillars in the Oba’s palace in Benin City.
Do museums steal artifacts?
Museums around the world contain pieces that were stolen or taken by force during colonial rule. Today, many museums around the world contain art and artifacts that were stolen from their countries of origin during colonial rule or looted during war.
What is the controversy over the Benin bronzes?
Benin Bronzes: Nigeria dispute jeopardises return of artefacts. A dispute between Nigerian leaders could jeopardise plans for the return of some of Africa’s most famous artefacts, the Benin Bronzes, which were looted during the colonial era and are now mainly in Western museums, as writer Barnaby Phillips reports.
Why do Benin royalty cover their mouth?
The wives of the Oba of Benin cover their nose and mouth as a sign of submission. The Oba covers his mouth with the white handkerchief in order to prevent people from seeing his teeth. People talk on his behalf most of the time and whatever they proclaim becomes the Law with immediate effect.
What is the relationship between Ife and Benin art?
As in the artwork of Ife, the craftsmen of Benin produced bronze and copper heads celebrating the power of the Oba. The capital of Benin (not to be confused with the modern state of Benin, formerly Dahomey) was south west of Ife.
What can we learn from the art of Benin?
Craft workers in Benin used lots of different materials. People worked with clay, wood and leather. Weavers used fibres from plants to make colourful cloth. The most precious materials were brass, coral and ivory.
What is the controversy over the Benin Bronzes?
Why won’t the British Museum return the Benin Bronzes?
Neil Curtis, head of museums and special collections at the University of Aberdeen, said the decision was driven by ethical concerns over the item which – like most of the bronzes – originated from a punitive military campaign in 1897 when British forces sacked the city of Benin in south-east Nigeria, looting thousands …
Do museums pay for artifacts?
Most commonly, museums get the artifacts they need for an exhibit by either buying or borrowing them. Common sense would say that it is cheaper to borrow than buy, but in the world of museums that isn’t always true. Museum curators locate and evaluate potential artifact acquisitions.
What are most common objects associated with Benin Bronzes?
Due to the collecting habits of museums in Europe and North America, the most common objects associated with the Benin bronzes are plaques and commemorative head sculptures.
When do Benin Bronzes go on display in Bristol?
On the 20th of May 2018, I was invited by the Bristol Museum to give a museum talk about the Benin bronzes on display there. I was specifically asked to bring my expertise and personal experience to the conversation of why the destruction and looting of the king’s palace in Benin in 1897 is still such a problematic subject.
What kind of bronze is the Ife Head made of?
A year after its finding, the Ife Head was taken to the British Museum. Like most west African ” bronzes ” the piece is actually made of copper and various alloys, described by the British Museum as “heavily leaded zinc-brass”.
Why was brass so important to the Benin people?
These guilds and their crafts played specific roles in the cultural life of the Benin. People believed that brass had the power to drive away evil. It was so special that it could only be used in the royal court. Though these brass pieces are often called ‘Benin Bronzes’, most are actually made of brass rather than bronze.
A year after its finding, the Ife Head was taken to the British Museum. Like most west African ” bronzes ” the piece is actually made of copper and various alloys, described by the British Museum as “heavily leaded zinc-brass”.
What kind of plaques were made in Benin?
Brass plaques, possibly made in series, were fixed to these pillars. The plaques show aspects of Benin court life in the sixteenth century, shortly after Europe’s first contact with West Africa.
What kind of art did the Kingdom of Benin produce?
The Kingdom of Benin has produced some of the most renowned examples of African art. There are an estimated 2,400 to 4,000 known objects including 300 bronze heads, 130 elephant tusks, and 850 relief plaques. The art of the Kingdom of Benin, not to be confused with the Republic of Benin, is most widely known for its bronze plaques.
On the 20th of May 2018, I was invited by the Bristol Museum to give a museum talk about the Benin bronzes on display there. I was specifically asked to bring my expertise and personal experience to the conversation of why the destruction and looting of the king’s palace in Benin in 1897 is still such a problematic subject.
