Benin Stolen Bronzes
Following the Benin Stolen Bronzes by the British in the latter half of the 19th century, these artifacts may now be found in museums all over the world.
One of the culturally significant items that has been returned to the government of Nigeria is a bronze sculpture of a West African ruler that has been part of the collection of a museum in Rhode Island for more than seven decades. The sculpture is one of the 31 items that have been returned.
During the ceremony that took place on Tuesday at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, District of Columbia, one of the items that was transferred to the Nigerian National Collections was a sculpture known as the Head of a King, or Oba. This sculpture has been on display at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum (RISD).
The kingdom of Benin, which is located in what is now the country of Nigeria, was pillaged and robbed by British colonial forces in the year 1897, and the Benin Bronzes were taken during this time.
Sarah Ganz Blythe, the interim director of the RISD Museum, stated in a statement that in 1897, the “Head of an Oba” was taken from the Royal Palace of Oba Ovonranwmen.
“The RISD Museum has worked with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments to repatriate this sculpture to the people of Nigeria where it belongs,” Blythe said.
Officials have stated that one object from the National Gallery of Art was among the stolen works from the late 19th century that were later returned to Nigeria by a decision of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution in June. The other 28 stolen works were from the Smithsonian Institution.
“Today, we address a historic injustice by returning the Benin Bronzes, magnificent examples of Benin’s culture and history,” Lonnie Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, wrote on Twitter.
“Through this repatriation, we acknowledge a legacy of cultural theft and do our part to return African culture to Africans.”
In 1939, Lucy Truman Aldrich bequeathed the artifact known as the Head of a King to the RISD Museum. It is thought that the item dates back to the 1700s. A statement from the museum says that it was bought in 1935 from the Knoedler Gallery in New York at an auction of items from the Kingdom of Benin.
On the inside of the book, there is a French customs stamp, which shows that it was once part of a collection in France.
Even though the RISD Museum has not been able to link the sculpture to a particular collection in France or the United Kingdom, it is almost clear that the sculpture is one of the looted pieces. The museum made this assertion.
The head is made of bronze and depicts an oba, or ruler, of the Edo people who lived in Benin, which is located in West Africa. According to the museum, the statues were put on ancestral altars within the royal palace after being commissioned by a new monarch as a way to honor the reign of the previous king.
This repatriation is part of a larger effort by cultural organizations all around the world to return artifacts that were taken during times of colonial conflict. In August, Germany concluded a contract that would give Nigeria ownership of the Benin Bronzes that are now on display in German museums. The theft in 1897 led to 512 pieces of the collection making their way to Berlin. It was said to be the largest significant transfer of museum artifacts from a colonial setting to date.
During the same month, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London made the announcement that they would be giving a collection of 72 Benin Bronzes to the government of Nigeria.
Abba Isa Tijani, who is in charge of Nigeria’s National Commission for Institutions and Monuments, hopes that the most recent transfer will encourage other museums to give back African artifacts.
“We hope for great collaborations with these museums and institutions and we have already opened promising discussions with them concerning this,” he said in a statement.
“The entire world is welcome to join in this new way of doing things. A way free from rancours and misgivings. A way filled with mutual respect.”
Also Read: British invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897
