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Plaque

1500s–1600s

Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild

Medium
Copper alloy
Measurements
Overall: 49.4 x 30.6 cm (19 7/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1953.425
Public Domain
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Location
108A African
Print
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Did You Know?

The bent sides of this plaque once helped attach it to wooden beams in a palace.

Description

Craftsmen modeled brass plaques like this in wax before casting them with hot metal. Molds pushed out figures’ general shapes, then details—such as this warrior’s staff and court sword (ẹbẹn)—were added by hand. Reflecting Benin’s global connections, the incised flowers may have Islamic or European origins. Called ebe-amẹn (river leaves) they are identified with Olókun, god of the waters. The interlaced side motifs may connect several early plaques also linked by topic and style. The palace plaques were in storage before the 1897 Siege of Benin. Recently, an art historian virtually reconstructed their former display in the palace based on their dimensions and imagery.
Grey-brown copper plaque with a figure facing us, wearing a tunic, thick necklace and rounded triangular cap that extends near the edge of the plaque. In their right hand, the figure holds a staff and in their right an ẹbẹn, a sword with a rounded leaf-shaped tip, that narrows before flaring slightly again at the handle. The plaque background and figure's tunic are speckled with dots around four-petaled flowers.

Plaque

1500s–1600s

Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild

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