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What do you know about bronze figures from Benin?
Benin was an important empire in the history of Nigeria because it became internationally known for its artworks (Benin Bronze) which were exported to various parts of Europe and the rest of the world. It was also the first Nigerian territory to rival a contemporary European power in terms of governance and function.
Benin Bronze Figures Used as Royal Ornaments are the indigenous cultural art of the Beninese people of Edo State in Nigeria, dating back to the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. Bronze casting in Edo was founded by Oba Oguola in the 14th century. It has been termed “Court Art”, hence “Court Art of Benin”, as it was only commissioned and used for royal affairs, although technically it is brass.
In making their works, Benin craftsmen paid more attention to the Oba, his royal attire, his slaves, his warriors and the numerous ceremonies held at the Oba’s palace.
Even though the Oba could give gifts to his subjects made of bronze, the metal was considered precious and therefore could only be possessed by the Oba (king), who had some highly gifted men skilled in the manufacture of bronze, wood and ivory work as bronzesmiths, wood – and ivory carvers were responsible. The bronzesmiths were only allowed to make their works for the Oba and were not allowed to make or trade their works of art for anyone outside the palace. Violation carried a death penalty. In 1914 Oba Eweka II lifted the ban on the sale of bronze artworks to the public.
According to Beninese oral tradition, the kings were the central force in Benin Artworks and therefore determined the type of figurines to be made by the artisans. Sculptures such as the ceremonial stools, terracotta heads and swords were common in the early dynasty of kings called the Ogisos, who may have ruled before the 14th century. In the dispensation of Oranmiyan he introduced horses to Benin, represented in the Benin art as a warrior on horseback. Figures of these horse warriors were kept on ancestral altars.
Upon their arrival in Benin City, the British forces were shocked to find large quantities of cast brass objects, and as the technological sophistication and naturalness of these works of art ran counter to the numerous 19th-century Western conjectures about Africa, it was wrongly assumed that the bronze works of brought to Benin by the Portuguese. This is probably due to the fact that the first whites to arrive in Benin were Portuguese missionaries, led by Prince Henry the Navigator, exploring the West African coast in the 15th century.
It is also a historical fact that Benin was one of the first missionary outposts in West Africa when European trade took off, until about 1530 the Portuguese were the only Europeans to dominate West Africa as a whole. Thus some of the Benin Signature Head bronze works were depictions of the Portuguese sailors due to their activities and early contact with the people of Benin and also because they bought the Benin Art.
Unfortunately the legendary Benin bronze figures and sculptures were taken by force by the western imperialists and transported to Europe after a rigorous expedition during the colonial era, in 1897 to be precise. Around 3,000 objects made of brass, ivory and wood were brought to the western world, including over 1,000 brass plaques from the Oba’s palace. It is reported that a large number of these works of art were shipped. Some were sold in the 1950s and 60s and are still on display in British museums today.
The Benin Bronze Figures are of significant cultural heritage in Nigeria. For example, in 1977 Nigeria used the original masked head of Queen Mother Idia during the FESTAC World Festival of Arts and Culture.
In 2016, black Cambridge students demanded that school authorities return a bronze rooster from ancient Benin Empire to its rightful owners.
