Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace

Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace. Edo peoples, Benin (Nigeria). 16th century C.E. Cast brass.
  • brass plaque, dated between 1550-1680
  • depicts an Oba (or king) and his attendants from the Benin Empire—a powerful kingdom located in present-day Nigeria. 
  • Oba has distinctive coral beaded regalia. 
  • Attendants hold shields above his head, either to protect him from attack or possibly from the hot, tropical sun.
  • hierarchic scale; figures vary in size
  • The Oba would have travelled with a large cohort of attendants, warriors, servants, diplomats, chieftains, and priests.
  • The plaque originally hung alongside many others on posts throughout the palace of the Oba. The order of their placement on these posts would have told the history of the royal lineage of Benin’s Obas. 
  • the sequence of plaques is lost to us since they were long held in storage when found by westerners in the 19th century. 
  • Today, artists working in brass in Benin are part of a brass workers guild
  • reconciling traditional African brass sculptural forms with the illustrated books and prints that may have been in the possession of European travelers.
Colonization: 
  • After increased aggression from both nations, the British launched the Punitive Expedition of 1897, seizing the Oba’s palace, burning down the city around it, killing many, and looting the royal court’s vast stores of art and treasure.
Process: 
  • These artists created plaques and other sculptures using what is known as the “lost wax casting technique,” in which, first, a more malleable wax version of the final brass work is made. It is then covered in clay and fired to harden the clay, removing the wax, which melts away in the process (hence the term, “lost wax”). 
  • Hot, molten liquid brass is then poured into the clay mold. As the brass cools, it hardens, and the clay is removed, revealing the finished plaque.
  • We know that this plaque was one of the artworks looted in the siege because Norman Burrows, a known trafficker in stolen Benin objects, owned it briefly during this time. This act of looting perpetrated by the British was later condemned as a criminal and violent act of British imperialism and colonialism. 
  • As such, there are many who believe that objects such as this plaque should be returned to the people of Benin, who remain deeply connected to their history and cultural traditions.





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