What are the Benin Bronzes? In the late 1800s, the Benin Empire in Africa was a hotbed of artistic skill and the British wanted a piece of it - as many pieces as they could steal, in fact. But what were the beautiful Benin Bronzes and did the current Queen of England really fence stolen goods.
(Part 6 of 6) Playlist link - • The arts past and present
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These are the Benin bronzes, some of the greatest African art ever made.
And we stole them.
At the end of the 19th century, the British Empire spanned a quarter of the world.
The other European nations wanted their own empires and a huge land grab began.
Africa was a land of opportunity.
Britain took control of what is now Nigeria and crushed local rulers,
all except the defiant king of Benin.
Benin had grown from a city into an empire
and had become a hotbed of artistic skill and trade.
The best artists produced beautiful and intricate bronze plaques
to decorate the king's palace.
And they even began taxing imports and exports to their kingdom.
This made the local British officials angry and they demanded Benin be taken by force.
And Benin's treasures be used to pay for the cost.
A mission was launched to teach them a lesson.
The nine British officers with their 250 porters were ambushed and killed.
Stupidly, their weapons were locked away in a trunk.
The British now had an excuse for war.
This expedition met fierce resistance.
Eventually, the city fell and burning and looting ensued.
The main prize, the beautiful bronze plaques.
The annihilation of Benin was really a show of muscle by the British empire.
A warning not to resist British power.
Most of the stolen bronzes were sold to pay for the expedition.
Many went to the British Museum.
Today, only a handful remain in Nigeria.
The bronzes caused quite a stir at the time.
Many refused to believe Africans could produce such beautifully crafted art.
Ironically, their theft brought them worldwide recognition and appreciation.
Our own queen was given a bronze by a wayward Nigerian president
who had borrowed it from the National Museum, reigniting the controversy.
So our queen unwittingly fenced stolen goods,
unlike the Victorians who knowingly did so a hundred years ago.
To find out more, go to www.openuniversity.co.uk forward slash Benin
