The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) intends to return 21 historical artefacts looted from Nigeria in the 1890s. The Benin bronzes, which were stolen by British soldiers, have been the subject of renewed focus in recent months, with growing pressure on cultural institutions to return them.
While there is no formal plan for when the Benin bronzes will be returned, the NMI said it was committed to progressing “a restitution process” for the artefacts.
In the past month, museums in Berlin and London, as well as Aberdeen University and the Church of England, have pledged to return their collections. The British Museum, which houses the largest number of Benin bronzes, has been asked by academics and members of the African art world to do the same, but is prevented by law from permanently returning items.
About 5,000 artefacts, including 1,000 bronzes, were stolen by British forces in a violent assault on the Nigerian city of Benin in the 1890s, with many inhabitants murdered and the royal palace ransacked and burnt. The items are now at the centre of an international debate about whether cultural institutions should return artefacts and artworks acquired through colonial activities.
The NMI houses 21 Benin bronzes, which are currently in storage. These include armlets, wooden paddles, figures and a staff. They are made of bronze, ivory and wood. “These objects entered the museum’s collection between 1898 and 1907. [The Benin bronzes] are the focus of public interest and debate particularly as this relates to restitution of colonial heritage,” the NMI said.
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“Like so many museums that were opened in the 19th century, the NMI has legacy collections that do not reflect contemporary collecting practice or ethics. [We] are committed to engaging with colleagues and officials in Nigerian museums to progress a restitution process in relation to the Benin bronzes.”
The only other known Benin bronze in Ireland is owned by the Hunt Museum in Limerick. Jill Cousins, its director, said the museum was “more than happy to look at restitution”, but the institution needed to have sufficient contact with those who would be receiving the item.
“Nobody’s actually been in contact with us,” Cousins said. “We have no problem returning it, in principle.”
The artefact, which is currently on display at the museum, is a leopard’s head made of ivory and lead. It was a ceremonial mask won by the Oba, the king of Benin, and was bought at Sotheby’s auction house in 1974. Cousins said the Hunt Museum assumed it was taken as part of the looting, but was trying to trace its exact provenance through the auctioneers.
Dan Hicks, a professor of archaeology at Oxford University and author of a book about the Benin bronzes, has led the calls for the items to be returned to Nigeria. He said that the recent announcements by international museums, and now by the NMI, would increase pressure on the British Museum to return its substantial collection.
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“There are legal restrictions for the national museums in the UK, but those restrictions were also there in the case of Holocaust [loot] and the law was changed,” Hicks said.
“In so many of these museums around the world, the objects are not on display. How can we argue [to retain them], when here in the UK less than 1 per cent of the objects that were taken from Africa are on display?”
The pressure to return plundered items has increased since the announcement last year that Nigerian authorities are to build a museum in Benin dedicated to the display of these bronzes.
Hicks said there was an “incredible desire” in Nigeria to see them returned.
“The African Union’s incoming head has said there are two priorities in the next year: one is the issues around the virus and lockdown, and the second around restitution,” he said.
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“The Irish example is really interesting because they’re objects that were taken by the British, and Ireland has its own historical experience with empire. This is a story that is going to play out in distinctive ways and different locations.”