Benin Plaque of a warrior or noble. Benin City, Nigeria. 16thC-17thC. British Museum. This is one of

Benin Plaque of a warrior or noble. Benin City, Nigeria. 16thC-17thC. British Museum. This is one of many such plaques which used to decorate the Oba’s (king’s) palace in Benin City. The details of this acquisition will make some people’s blood ‘boil’. “Following the British occupation of Benin City (Edo) in 1897 objects made of brass, ivory and wood were seized by the British force from the royal quarters and various storerooms. The British Museum successfully petitioned the Government to safeguard some of these objects and over 300 brass plaques were sent to the UK by the Consul-General [Sir] Ralph Moor and placed at the Foreign Office. Numerous other objects brought out of the city were sold or exchanged on the coast; many pieces were brought to the UK where they were sold through private auction or were retained by soldiers of the expedition. During the summer of 1897 the Crown Agents for the Colonies on behalf of the Foreign Office agreed with the British Museum a temporary loan of 304 plaques acquired during the Benin Expedition. In September these were placed on public display and attracted considerable attention. The Museum initially received 203 of these plaques as a gift from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.” -- source link

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