Registration number
Af1898,0115.150
Institution
British Museum
Edo designations
English designations
Relief Plaque
Categories
Palace Architecture & Ornamentation
Location
Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
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Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque

Iconographies

8 annotations
hairstyles
Eto
hairstyles

Hairstyles are used to determine a person's status in the society, as chiefs, common folks, chief's wives and the wives of the Ọba all wear different hairstyles. We have Okuku, Ikpe~okhokho, Idu~akpata

2 annotations
Eto
Eto
Iconography image
Ẹroro
Bell

Ẹroro (bells) frequently appear as ornaments worn by figures depicted on the Emwin Arhe, particularly on Ama-Eronmwon (bronze relief plaques) and Aken’ni Elao (carved tusks). These Ẹroro are most commonly quadrangular in form or, less commonly, cylindrical with rounded tops. Quadrangular Ẹroro worn around the neck are often part of the attire that indicates that figures can be interpreted as warriors, alongside the Akọn Ẹkpẹn (leopard tooth neck ornament) and the Ohian Ẹkpẹn (leopard tunics).

1 annotation
Ẹroro
Water fern
Ebe Amẹ
Water Fern

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria. Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days.

1 annotation
Ebe Amẹ
tribal marks
Iwu
Facial and Body Markings

Iwu are facial and body markings (scarifications) that were historically worn by Edo men and women. However, since the 1960s, the practice has been nearly extinct. ). In the past, Iwu were used as a way of proving that one was an Edo citizen, and the ceremony of having Iwu completed was an important rite of passage for men and women. The Osiwu, who also practised circumcision and other surgical procedures, would carry out the procedure of adding Iwu. There are different types of Iwu: ‘blades’ worn on the torso (Iwu-eko), and those worn on the face, such as Ikharo (three or four markings above the eyebrows), Irho (two narrow ‘blades’ worn on each cheek), Ovbihue (nasal ‘blades’), Ovbi-agbanmwen (chin ‘blade’), and Igho-okpa/Ukpgho (three forehead ‘blades’).

The number of Iwu also varied depending on the identity of the person wearing them. For example, royal men would wear six ‘blades’ on their torso, whilst men who were not royal would wear seven ‘blades’. Meanwhile, the Ọba’s female children would wear fifteen ‘blades’, and all other women would wear sixteen.

1 annotation
Iwu
Ọkhọn Okuo
Warrior

The frequency with which Ọkhọn Okuo (Benin warriors) are depicted in Emwin Arre (royal treasures) reflects the importance of the army and military to the Kingdom, as well as the role of royal art as an archive in which artists from the palace guilds recorded important people, events, and institutions. The army was organised into a number of regiments, with soldiers grouped according to the weapons they used, including archers, swordsmen, crossbowmen, and spearmen.

Warrior figures are frequently shown carrying weapons such as Asa (shields), Asoro (spears), warfare swords such as the Umozo or Ọhọ (executioners’ or warfare swords), Uhanbọ (bows), Ẹkpẹde (crossbows), and Ifẹnmwẹ (arrows), which were sometimes poisoned, as well as Osisi (firearms). Their dress also provides important indications of their military role. On both the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) and Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), warriors are depicted in a relatively standardised form, typically wearing an Ohian Ẹkpẹn (leopard tunic), Akọn Ẹkpen (leopard’s tooth neck ornament), an Ẹroro pendant around the neck, and the Uko ugbo-ohamwen (fortified chest band).

Differences are particularly apparent in the warriors’ headwear, both between individual figures and between representations on Aken'ni Elao and Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn. On the Ama - Eronmwon, the most common forms of headwear are crocodile-hide helmets and horsetail helmets with a front plate. On the Aken'ni Elao, some warriors wear double-horned helmets, while others wear simple rounded hats or helmets. The most frequently represented warrior type on the tusks, however, wears a helmet with cowries sewn onto a front panel.

2 annotations
Ọkhọn Okuo
Ọkhọn Okuo
Rosette - 'The Sun Never Misses a Day'
Owẹn iba ẹdẹ ku
Rosette - 'The Sun Never Misses a Day'

This rosette design, usually found in the corners of Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), is one of two motifs representing the sun and one of a number of motifs in Edo art that are also connected with Olokun. The association between the sun and Olokun refers to the way in which the sun descends into the sea each day—hence the proverb ‘the sun never misses a day’—and the sea is where the deity Olokun lives.

1 annotation
Owẹn iba ẹdẹ ku

Related archival documents

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Date
Date

Institution data

British Museum
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2025-06-10
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Registration number
object id
Af1898,0115.150
Additional IDs
object id
194 (Foreign Office number)
PRN
object id
EAF26569
Object Type
designation
plaque
Description
description
Relief plaque, lost-wax cast in brass. Wide plaque, rectangular in form with side flanges. Background surface decorated with river leaf patterns and stippling. Two rosettes in low relief in top right and left corners. Three nail holes at top right and left. Three holes at bottom right, left and centre. Depicts two bearded warriors, facing front, both with swords in left hands. Both figures have hair plaits terminating in beads at left side. Both wear textured helmets and armlets. Larger scale figure wears elaborate garment on right side with pendent strips and bell (?). Object with horsehair on right hip, patterned wrap-around skirt. Smaller figure wears baldric across chest, object with horsehair on right hip and short wrap-around skirt.
Ethnic name (made by)
ethnic attribution
Edo
Date
date made
16thC-17thC
Production place
production place
Made in: Benin City
Findspot
place collected
Found/Acquired: Benin City
Materials
material
brass
Technique
production technique
lost-wax cast
Dimensions
dimensions
Height: 49.30 cm~Width: 40.00 cm~Depth: 10.70 cm~Weight: 14.00 kg
Curator’s comments
provenance
The relief brass plaques that used to decorate the Oba's (king's) palace are among the most well-known of all the royal arts of Benin. Although frequently described as 'Benin Bronzes' most plaques are made of leaded brass in various compositions. It is widely accepted that they date to the 16th-17th centuries. In the years prior to the British royal influence in Benin was increasingly under threat from rival powers, both internal and external, with a focus on economic power and control of the important trading monopolies. However, the court and palace remained the political and spiritual centre of the Benin Kingdom. Earlier accounts written by Europeans visiting the city describe its size and scale. The palace complex was set up around atrium courtyards; some had galleries with wooden pillars supporting the roof. Brass plaques, probably made in matching pairs, were fixed to these pillars. The Benin brass plaques represent a distinct and unique corpus of work, unparalleled elsewhere on the continent. They are cast using the cire perdue (lost wax) technique and show significant variation in the depth of the relief. Some of the plaques portray historical events or commemorate successful wars, while others are a vivid depiction of Benin court life and ritual. Several groups of plaques show clear stylistic similarities. William B. Fagg suggested that these plaques represent the work of master brass casters. Fagg, William, 1973, 'Nigerian Images', London: Lund Humphries Gunsch, Kathryn, 2018, 'Benin plaques: a 16th century imperial monument', London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group ; Part of Warrior Set 3. Row 4C (Gunsch, 2018).
Bibliographic references
bibliography
Gunsch 2018: pp. 174-5; p.180 (4C), p.181, fig.6.68
Exhibition history
exhibition history
Exhibited: 1970-1973, London, Museum of Mankind, Divine Kingship in Africa
Condition
condition
Good; chips and minor missing sections along bottom edge. Lower part of sword missing from larger figure's hand. Small holes below smaller figure's left foot.
Subjects
iconography
palace/mansion
Associated events
event
Associated Event: British to Benin City - Feb 1897
Acquisition name (acquisition)
provenance
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Acquisition date
accession date
1898
Acquisition notes (excavation)
provenance
This plaque was looted during the British to Benin City in 1897.
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