‘Tipping point for restitution’: Horniman hands back first Benin bronzes

Six objects looted during the 1897 British raid on Benin City have been handed back to the Nigerian authorities by the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

The items are the first of 72 objects due to be repatriated from the south London museum, after trustees agreed in July that returning the Benin holdings was the “moral and appropriate” thing to do.

A ceremony was held at the museum last night to formally transfer ownership of the 72 items to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).  

The six objects handed over during the ceremony include two brass plaques, a brass hip ornament, two ivory objects and a carved wooden box frame.  

The six objects are:

• A brass plaque depicting Oba Orhogbua (circa 1550-1578) holding a staff representing authority and power, and with Iwu, royal tattoos.
• A brass plaque depicting Agban, the Ezomo (Deputy Commander in Chief of the Benin army), towards the end of the reign of Oba Orhogbua (circa 1550-1578) and the start of the reign of Oba Ehengbuda (circa 1578-1608).
• A brass hip ornament depicting a face or mask.
• An ivory staff of office depicting a carved relief figure of an Oba.
• An ivory arm cuff carved with heads and abstract shapes, part of royal regalia.
• A carved wooden box frame, likely for holding a mirror.

The ivory objects and wooden frame were bought by the museum’s founder, Frederick Horniman, in March 1897. They were sold by WJ Hider, a member of the Royal Navy who accompanied the military incursion of February 1897 and was personally involved in the looting.

Richard Quick, the Horniman’s first curator, purchased the plaques and hip ornament in 1899 as part of a collection of Benin City objects that included a key from the “King’s House”. It isn’t clear how the seller, James Tingley, acquired the objects.

The six objects were selected in consultation with the NCMM as being representative of the 72 items in the collection. Four of the objects were previously on display in the Horniman’s World Gallery. Their former places in the display case are now marked by empty mounts alongside labels explaining that they have been returned to Nigeria.

“The National Commission for Museums and Monuments is delighted with this signing of the transfer agreement to Nigeria and looks forward to mutual collaborations with the Horniman Museum and Gardens, including loans of objects, circulation, touring exhibitions, research, etc,” said Abba Tijani, director-general of the NCMM, who attended the ceremony. “I call on other museums to emulate from the Horniman’s example.”

Michael Salter-Church, the Horniman’s chair of trustees, said the signing over of ownership “does not represent the end of the process”.

“We hope that actually it marks the beginning of a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship between the Horniman and colleagues in Nigeria,” he said.

Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association, welcomed the repatriation.

“The return of these objects marks a significant moment in time for the museum sector in the UK,” she said. “As the Horniman’s director Nick Merriman said, we are at a tipping point in terms of restitution and our work to understand and interpret the connection between our institutions and collections and the British empire.

"We know from our work on the Supporting Decolonisation in Museums guidance that many more museums are doing this work in a thoughtful and collaborative way.”