idno
E 1902.446
Edo designations
English designations
Relief Plaque
Categories
Palace Architecture & Ornamentation
Location
1 Adesogbe (Plymouth) Road, P.M.B. 1115, Benin City , Edo State
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Iconographies

2 annotations
Water fern
Ebe Amẹ
Water Fern

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

1 annotation
Ebe Amẹ
Ehẹn
Fish

Ehẹn is a general term used to describe various types of fish (Ọbazee 2025, p. 90; ). Although mudfish are one of the most common motifs in Benin art, other kinds of fish are also represented. According to Blackmun ( ), a greater variety of fish are represented on the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) than on other types of royal artefacts. According to Kathy Curnow ( ), fish appear on 70 Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), making them the most commonly represented animal. Despite their prevalence, the precise species of fish are not easy to identify due to their “generic renderings”, possibly indicating that artists did not always distinguish between specific varieties ( ). Fish are represented on the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn both in profile and from above.

1 annotation
Ehẹn

Provenance

5 events
Production
1504 (approximate) to 1550 (approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin - February 1897 from Benin Kingdom.
Unknown
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to 1902
The object is known to have come into contact with William Downing Webster, later in London.
Donation
1902
The object was donated by William Downing Webster to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge from London to Cambridge.
Restitution
February 8, 2026
The object was restituted by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge to the Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ọba of Benin & National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria from Cambridge to Nigeria.

Related archival documents

2 documents
See all
An archival document representing a Inventories of 404 page(s)
Inventory
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Stock books
Date
January 18, 1897 to March 26, 1900
An archival document representing a Sales Catalogs of 38 page(s)
Sales Catalogue
Wellcome Collection
Catalogue of ethnological specimens : European and Eastern arms & armour, Prehistoric and other curiosities / W.D. Webster, Oxford House, Bicester, Oxon., England.
Date
January 1, 1899 to December 31, 1899

Institution data

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-07-18
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
idno
object id
E 1902.446
local
edo designation
Physical description/0
description
Catalogue card notes: "An oblong plaque with patterned ground and border depicting a catfish covered with diaper work."
Physical description/1
description
Physical description/2
description
Physical description/3
description
Physical description/4
description
d_Description Name
description
Bronze plaque with patterned ground and border depicting a catfish covered with diaper work.
height
dimensions
373 mm
length
dimensions
45 mm
width
dimensions
193 mm
weight
weight
1.95 kg
Inscription
inscriptions
Labels - Markings/0
inscriptions
Marked in white ink: '6451' [Webster Coll. no.-now crossed through]
Labels - Markings/1
inscriptions
Museum label adhered to the object reads: '1902.446. Plaque - catfish. Benin. W.D. Webster, Esq.'
Labels - Markings/2
inscriptions
Labels - Markings/3
inscriptions
Labels - Markings/4
inscriptions
Labels - Markings/5
inscriptions
period
date made
maker
producer
d_Place
production place
Africa; West Africa; Nigeria; [Kingdom of Benin]; Edo State; Benin City; Oba's Palace
Other owners
prior source
Rachel Hand: 'Given Webster's acquisition of much of the spoils of the Benin West Africa 1897 , and the early date of 1902-3, it is likely his personal donation of Benin material was also collected on the 1897 Punitive . This has therefore been added to the source field with queries to indicate the lack of available data for a definite provenance' (02/10/2018).
source
prior source
Benin [collector]; Webster, William Downing [donor]
Collection or Excavation Year
date collected
1897
culture group
ethnic attribution
Edo
source date
accession date
1902
Amendments - updates/0
notes
The note created during transcription of the catalogue card in 2001 added that it was unclear if 'Edo is the province or language group, and whether Benin refers to the city of Benin'. The Register noted only 'Benin, West Africa'. As the catalogue card was written before the creation of Edo State in 1991, 'Edo' would have referred to the Edo people and has been removed from the place field. The narrow term 'Benin' has been used within the museum and more widely to refer to the both Benin City as well as the Kingdom of Benin and both terms have therefore been added to the place field in brackets to show the original provenance e.g., 'Benin [?Kingdom of Benin; ?Benin City].
Amendments - updates/1
notes
Photograph attached to rear of catalogue card.
Amendments - updates/2
notes
Amendments - updates/3
notes
Amendments - updates/4
notes
Exhibition/0
exhibition history
Exhibition/1
exhibition history
Reference Numbers
bibliography
E 1902.446 MAA: AR 1903.260 Other: 6451 [Webster sale no.]
References/0
bibliography
Webster, W.D. (1899). Illustrated Catalogue of Ethnological Specimens. European and Eastern Arms and Armour. Prehistoric and Other Curiosities, Vol. 3, No. 18. Illustrated in unnumbered plate, figures 65-75. No. 65. (6451) Do. Plaque with fish in relief, 7-1/2 inches high, 14-3/4 long (Benin) £5.0.0.
References/0 2
bibliography
References/1
bibliography
Related Documents/0
bibliography
Catalogue card reads, in blue biro: "1902 E 446 | AFRICA | WEST AFRICA / NIGERIA / Oblong PLAQUE with patterned ground and border depicting a cat fish covered with diaper work, / Benin W. Africa / Mr. W.D. Webster | R. 1903 260" Red circular sticker in bottom right of card.
Related Documents/1
bibliography
Related Documents/2
bibliography
Related Documents/3
bibliography
Related Documents/4
bibliography
Related Documents/5
bibliography
Related Documents/6
bibliography
Acquisition Details/0
Acquisition Details/1
Acquisition Details/2
Analysis/0
In January 2017, Prof. Marcos Martinon-Torres and Agnese Benzonelli, UCL Institute of Archaeology, tested this idno using a portable XRF as part of a programme of base metal analysis of Benin material.
Analysis/1
Archaeology
Auction - Sale/0
Auction - Sale/1
CMS Context/0
CMS Description
Catalogue
Display/0
Exhibited: Metal in Africa, MAA, 1996.
Display/1
Display/2
Display/3
Field_collection/0
Assumed to be part of the looted ancestral treasures taken from the Palace of Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled 1888–1897) in Benin City as part of the British Benin , February 1897. The strike force led by Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson was historically known as the ‘Benin Punitive ’. Ostensibly undertaken in revenge for the ambush and death of a so-called trade mission led by Acting Consul General James Phillips who was keen to depose the Oba and expand British commercial interests.
Field_collection/1
Found_together - assemblage
Freezing
Online Only
Other/0
Other/1
Production - use
Remedial/0
Remedial/1
Surface Clean
unknown
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here