Brooklyn Museum: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Plaque Fragment

Want to add this object to a set? Please join the Posse, or log in.

Plaque Fragment

This fragment of a plaque depicts a warrior whose leopard-tooth necklace, bracelet, and skirt indicate that he was likely an official of the court of the oba, or king, of Benin. Such plaques adorned the pillars and walls of the royal palace. They both memorialized the specific events of an oba's reign and served as reference guides to proper court dress and ritual.

Culture: Edo
Medium: Copper alloy
Place Made: Benin, Edo State, Nigeria
Dates: mid 16th-17th century
Dimensions: 11 3/8 x 7 1/8 in. (28.9 x 18.1 cm)
Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
Museum Location: This item is on view in African Galleries, 1st Floor
Accession Number: 39.113
Credit Line: Alfred W. Jenkins Fund
Image: Overall, 39.113_acetate_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Catalogue Description: Figure in relief of warrior carrying baldric and sword held by left hand. Necklace of leopard's teeth, some of which are missing. Right arm at the side, bracelets represented on this arm. Background of plaque with simple incised pattern of two leaves enclosing a circle. Condition: sides, part of top and bottom broken away.

Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Plaque Fragment