The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art returned two Benin Bronzes to the Royal Court of Benin in Nigeria. The two artifacts were among thousands stolen by British forces in the late 19th century. This week’s repatriation ceremony was the first time a U.S. institution returned looted artifacts to the Oba of Benin.
Repatriation of Benin Bronzes Celebrated in Nigeria
The Stanley Museum of Art formally restituted two Benin Bronzes—a brass plaque and a wood and iron hen sculpture—in a ceremony on July 15 at the Benin Palace in Benin City, Nigeria. The plaque depicts an officer from the Benin Court with a ceremonial sword. The hen sculpture was likely an “altarpiece devoted to maternal ancestors,” according to the Stanley Museum of Art.
During the ceremony, representatives from the Stanley Museum of Art handed the plaque and sculpture to the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II. The Oba is the traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom. Cory Gundlach, curator of African art at the Stanley Museum of Art, said, “The violence and loss associated with these objects can never be forgotten.” Oba Ewuare II told Nigerian media, “I hope the other museums in America will follow this.” The Oba also explained that the looted Benin Bronzes are both spiritually and artistically significant to the Benin Kingdom.
Provenance and Restitution of Benin Kingdom Artifacts
The Stanley Museum of Art created a research position dedicated to restitution in 2020. Mason Koelm, who currently holds the position, researched the provenance of the two Benin Bronzes in the museum’s collection. By 2022, the museum’s collections committee and advisory board had voted to deaccession the two Benin Bronzes from the collection. The objects were then reclassified as on loan to the Stanley Museum of Art from the Oba of Benin.
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterIn early 2023, the Nigerian government declared the current Oba of Benin to be the rightful custodian of all Benin Bronzes. This announcement was controversial as some institutions expressed concern about restituted artifacts disappearing into the royal family’s private collection. However, Lauren Lessing, director of the Stanley Museum of Art, told The Art Newspaper, “It is not my job to tell people what to do with their own possessions. The two works of art restituted were stolen from the Oba of Benin in 1897, and they belong to him.”
What Are the Benin Bronzes?
The Benin Bronzes are a group of 16th- to 18th-century metal sculptures, cast relief plaques, and other objects created in the Benin Kingdom, now part of Nigeria. A specialist guild working for the royal court of the Oba in Benin City crafted them. Some three thousand Benin Bronzes were looted by British troops during a raid of the royal palace in 1897. Before being annexed by the British Empire that year, the Benin Kingdom was one of the last remaining independent kingdoms in West Africa. The stolen Benin Bronzes were scattered across various European and American museums and private collections.
Calls to return the Benin Bronzes have increased in recent years. In October 2021, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Culture specifically issued a written request to the British Museum, which owns nearly one thousand Benin Bronzes. This call was renewed following recent reports of missing and stolen artifacts from the British Museum. Abba Isa Tijani, the director of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, told Sky News, “It’s shocking to hear that the countries and museums that have been telling us that the Benin Bronzes would not be secure in Nigeria have thefts happening there.” Security concerns notwithstanding, Tijani continued, “The issue is that these are stolen artifacts, and they should be returned to Nigeria to the communities that they belong to.”
