Two stolen Benin artifacts have been returned by a Boston museum in a landmark restitution event.
The treasures, looted in 1897, were handed over to Oba Ewuare II in New York ceremony.
The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston has officially returned two culturally significant artifacts that were taken from the Benin Kingdom during the British invasion of 1897. The restitution was made to the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba Ewuare II, during a formal ceremony held at the Nigeria House in New York.
Karen Frascona, Director of Marketing and Communications for the MFA, confirmed the development in a statement released on Sunday. “The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), today returned two works of art from the Benin Kingdom to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, in a ceremony at the Nigeria House in New York City, which houses both the permanent mission of Nigeria to the United Nations and Consulate General of Nigeria,” she said.
The historic handover was made in the presence of representatives from the Benin Royal Court and members of Nigeria’s diplomatic corps. “The works were presented to His Royal Highness Prince Aghatise Erediauwa and H.E. Ambassador Samson Itegboje of the Embassy of Nigeria. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, working with the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, D.C., will take possession of these two works and coordinate their handling, care, transit to Nigeria, and delivery to the Oba of Benin,” Frascona added.
Frascona noted that the handover was made possible through the collaboration of leading figures in both the art and diplomatic communities. The process was led by Dr. Arese Carrington, a member of the MFA’s Board of Advisors. Other notable attendees included Ambassador Abubakar Jidda, Nigeria’s Consul General in New York; Matthew Teitelbaum, Director of the MFA; Pierre Terjanian, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation at the MFA; and Victoria Reed, the museum’s Senior Curator for Provenance. Members of the Benin community in New York were also present to witness the symbolic return.
Speaking at the event, MFA Director Matthew Teitelbaum underscored the importance of returning the artifacts. “I am pleased to deliver these two works of art to Prince Aghatise Erediuwa on behalf of HM Oba Ewuare II. As custodians of these exceptional objects for the past 12 years, it is deeply gratifying to see them returned to their rightful owner. I want to thank Dr. Arese Carrington, Ambassador Itegboje and Consul General Jidda for their partnership in this truly meaningful event.”
Teitelbaum acknowledged the tragic history behind the artifacts, which were taken during the colonial-era British military raid on Benin. The pieces include a 16th- or 17th-century terracotta and iron Commemorative Head and a 16th-century bronze Relief Plaque depicting two officials holding swords. “Looted by British soldiers during the notorious military attack on the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the objects that were restituted are a terracotta and iron Commemorative Head from the 16th or 17th century and a 16th–century bronze Relief Plaque Showing Two Officials with Raised Swords.”
According to Teitelbaum, the Commemorative Head was first sold in London in 1899 by art dealer William Cutter to William Downing Webster, who was known for handling looted Benin pieces. The Relief Plaque was sold a year earlier by the Crown Agent of the Niger Coast Protectorate the British entity responsible for the Benin invasion.
The items later entered private and public collections in Europe before making their way to Boston. “Both works of art were purchased by Augustus Pitt-Rivers (1827–1900) for the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Farnham, England. This museum closed in the 1960s, and its collections were dispersed. Robert Owen Lehman acquired the two works as he built his collection of Benin Kingdom artwork between the 1960s and 1980s, and donated them to the MFA in 2013 and 2018,” Teitelbaum explained.
While the museum has returned these two items, Teitelbaum revealed that three more Benin works remain in the MFA’s collection. Their histories are still being investigated. “Three works of art from the Benin Kingdom remain in the MFA’s collection. The provenance of these items is inconclusive. They can be traced to the European and American art markets in the second half of the 20th century, and it is not known for certain when or how they left Benin. Research on these objects is ongoing,” he said.
The return of the artifacts marks another milestone in the global movement to repatriate looted cultural heritage to their places of origin.
