Bronzed off
A CENTURY ago the Benin bronze heads, along with intricately carved ivory tusks, adorned ancestral altars in the palace of the King of Benin, or “Oba”. Ornate plaques depicting scenes of Benin court life lined the palace pillars and walls. Then in 1897 the British army stormed the palace and seized the heads, plaques and tusks, which are now scattered in museums and private collections throughout the world, and fetch top prices in art markets.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Bronzed off”
From the May 10th 1997 edition
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