1907.66.1

Collection type

Object

Description

Brass plaque depicting one central figure with two kneeling figures on either side.

Long description

Brass plaque. One seated central figure with 2 kneeling figures on either side. Covered in brown earth/pigment.

Geographical reference

Nigeria

Africa > Western Africa > Nigeria

Benin City

Cultural groups

Edo

Person

Field collector F. Embury

PRM source F. Embury

Date / Period

Date made: Circa 1500-1700

Date collected

By 1907; 1897

Acquisition information

Purchased: 02/1907

Materials and processes

Material Brass Metal, Process Lost Wax Cast

Dimensions

Height 470 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1907.66.1

Research and responses

This is very similar to objects illustrated in plate 47 (illustrations 99 and 100) in An Introduction to Benin Art and Technology, by P. J. C. Dark, (1973)). Represents the Oba sitting on a throne in the form of a kola-nut box, holding a ?blacksmith's hammer and supported by two attendants. Two heads of Europeans in relief above the Oba. Dark suggests these plaques date to the first quarter of the 17th century, but Ben-Amos (see plate 20 in The Art of Benin, by Paula Ben-Amos (1980)) illustrates one in similar style that she states is possibly 16th century. [LMM, undated; JC 18 7 2002, 9 5 2008]

Associated publications

Object: The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution, Main author: Dan Hicks; London, 2020, Page illustrated: between pp. 174 and 175 Reference: Finding the Forgotten: Locating Transatlantic Slavery in The Pitt Rivers Museum Collection, Main author: Jane Webster, 2025, Page: 111, Page illustrated: 110, Catalogue number: Figure 2

Illustrated in black and white on page 93 of The Treasures of Oxford, by David Piper (New York and London: Paddington Press, 1977); captioned (with illustration of 1966.13.1) as 'Two Nigerian bronzes from Benin'. [JC 22 9 2012] Listed as no B8/60 on p. 2.1.31 in An Illustrated Catalogue of Benin Art, by Philip J. C. Dark (Boston, MA: G. K. Hall, 1982). [JC 1995] Illustrated in black and white as figure 11 on page 16 of Symbols of Kings: Benin Art at the Pitt Rivers Museum, by Linda Mowat (Oxford: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, 1991). [JC 10 3 1997]. Published as figure 5.12 on page 164 of African Connections: An Archaeological Perspective on Africa and the Wider World (The African Archaeology Series, VII), by Peter Mitchell (Walnut Creek, Cal., etc.: Altamira Press, 2005). Caption (same page) reads: 'A bronze plaque of early seventeenth or possibly sixteenth century date from Benin, Nigeria, showing the Oba sitting on a throne in the form of a kola-nut box. The heads of two Europeans appear to left and right above the Oba...'. [JC 23 2 2006] This object was featured in the Museum's audio guide produced during the DCF-funded 'What's Upstairs?' project, 2004–2006. [BR 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 8/11/2005] Listed on page 227 of 'Annex 4: List of plaques by institution' in The Benin Plaques: A 16th Century Imperial Monument (Routledge Research in Art History), by Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch (London: Routledge, 2018): '[V/P] V [Institution or Collection] Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford [Acc. No.] 1907.66.1 [Wide/Narr./Frag.] Wide [H] 47.0 [W] [blank]'. Also illustrated in black and white as Figure 6.61.2A on page 164. Caption (opposite page): 'The Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford plaque 1907.66.1, (c) Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.' [JC 18 10 2018]

Search terms: Figure, Plaque