Relief plate: war chief

Physical Chareteristics
The relief plate is part of the cultural and artistic heritage of the presumably 800-year-old Kingdom of Benin. The kingdom, which is located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, was conquered by the British in 1897 and the courtly works of art came to Europe as spoils of war. Bronze relief panels covered the pillars of Oba’s palace in Benin City. The panels show aspects of court life and bear witness to the history of the kingdom. This relief plate is one of the few depictions in which warriors are equipped with two swords. So the warrior holds the ceremonial sword in his left hand and the ceremonial sword ada in his right. The symbol of the sword is often repeated here, for example as a scratch on the blades of the swords or on the faceplate of the helmet of the figure in the middle. A feather adorns the side of his helmet. The warrior is dressed in an apron made of patterned fabric, over which is a leopard skin robe. He wears a total of five bells of different sizes on his body. The dignitary is framed by two significantly smaller pages, who are characterized here as fan-bearers and hornblowers.


Material: Brass


Dimensions: 44.5 x 34.5 x 4.5 cm