Historic restitution: The Netherlands returns 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Netherlands has repatriated 119 looted artifacts from the former Kingdom of Benin (present-day Nigeria ) , including human and animal figures , plaques, royal insignia and a bell, said Olugbile Holloway, director of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) .
The objects, known as the Benin Bronzes – a collection of more than a thousand brass plaques and other metal sculptures – were mostly housed in the museum in the Dutch city of Leiden and were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers .
Holloway said on his Facebook account that the pieces were delivered to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II —the traditional monarch of the ancient Kingdom of Benin, and a still sacred and highly significant figure in Edo culture.
"The NCMM and a delegation from the Netherlands brought the recently repatriated Benin Bronzes to the Oba of Benin for his symbolic blessing and approval for their safe storage by the NCMM," Holloway said.
Sculpture of a leopard, Kingdom of Benin, 19th century. Part of the restoration of the Rijksmuseum Collection. Photo: Rijksoverheid/Netherlands Central Government
He also highlighted that this delivery represents the largest physical return of Benin Bronzes since they were looted by British troops during the sacking and burning of the royal palace in 1897, at the height of the consolidation of British colonial rule in the region , after which they were auctioned in various European countries.
By February, the Dutch government had already returned 113 bronze objects , including plaques, pendants, and figurines.
The Benin Bronzes are a group of metal sculptures and reliefs that decorated the royal palace of the ancient kingdom , located in the south of present-day Nigeria, and were created from the 13th century by artisans of the Edo people.
Part of the Benin Bronzes looted by England, now returned to the African country. (AP Agency)
In 2022, Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of these objects to museums around the world, as many of these pieces have been on display for decades in institutions in Europe and the United States.
In Germany, for example, some 1,100 pieces have been counted, spread across the collections of some twenty museums, while the British Museum holds around 900.
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