The Horniman Museum’s collection of artifacts from the ancient kingdom of Benin includes 12 bronze plaques, ceremonial paraphernalia and the key to ‘to the king’s palace’.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
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Horniman Museum and Gardens
The Horniman Museum’s collection of artifacts from the ancient kingdom of Benin includes 12 bronze plaques, ceremonial paraphernalia and the key to ‘to the king’s palace’.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
A British museum says it will return dozens of artifacts to the Nigerian government that were coerced more than a century ago.
The Horniman Museum and Garden in London plans to hand over 72 objects – which notably include a piece of sculpture known as a Benin bronze – that was looted from Benin City in southern Nigeria during a raid. British military invasion in 1897, according to the museum’s Board of Trustees.
Board chair Eve Salomon said: “The evidence is very clear that these items were acquired through force, and outside consultations have supported our position that the return of title rights their ownership for Nigeria is appropriate and ethical” in a news bulletin.
Image of a piece called Oku’Oba (Oba’s Emissary) from the collection of the Horniman Museum.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
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Horniman Museum and Gardens
Image of a piece called Oku’Oba (Oba’s Emissary) from the collection of the Horniman Museum.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
The museum agreed to return the artifacts after receiving a request in January from National Commission on Museums and Monumentsa Nigerian agency that oversees the preservation of the country’s historical and cultural assets.
Horniman said they thoroughly researched the objects in their possession that originated in the kingdom of Benin – an ancient region separate from present-day Benin – to determine which matches the NCMM’s requirements.
Artifacts to be returned include 12 bronze plates – known as Benin bronzes – of ceremonial utensils, bronze bells, common items from the time such as fans and baskets, and a key. into the king’s palace.”
Despite their name, Benin bronze is a series of thousands of sculptures and plaques mostly made of brass, report New York Times. The elaborate works that once adorned the king’s palace in the ancient Kingdom of Benin.
“We very much welcome this decision by the Trustees of the Horniman Museum and Gardens,” Abba Tijani, director general of the NCMM, said in a press release.
He added that he looks forward to future collaborations between his foundation and Horniman, including the possibility of lending artifacts to the British museum.
The deal is part of a larger effort to repatriate African antiquities plundered during European colonial conquests. Many objects eventually made their way into museums across Europe and the United States Like NPR reportedSome museums have not followed through on similar promises to return artifacts.
