The Netherlands has become the latest country to agree to return the Benin Bronzes, works of art looted by the British from the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria, in 1897.
The Dutch government returned 119 objects, including brass and bronze sculptures, plaques, ornate pendants, and other objects stolen from shrines and altars.
At a ceremony at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden, the Dutch minister of culture, Eppo Bruins, legally transferred ownership of 113 objects from the Dutch state collection and six from the municipality of Rotterdam to the Nigerian government.
“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” Bruins said in a statement. “Heritage is essential for telling and experiencing the history of a country and community. The Benin Bronzes are therefore indispensable for Nigeria, it is good that they are returning.”
Once the objects are physically returned, the Nigerian government will decide where and how to display them, Zdenka Fieggen, the Wereldmuseum’s communications director, told The Art Newspaper. She adds that the parties are still in discussions about when and where the transfer will take place.
The Kingdom of Benin, renowned for its brass and bronze craftsmanship, ornamented its palaces and temples with extraordinary objects. In 1897, the British led a punitive expedition, pillaging these objects and selling them. Today, they are in 160 institutions worldwide.
A Benin Bronze in the collection of the Wereldmuseum, Leiden
Photo: Boudewijn Bollmann
In 2022, the German government reached an agreement to return more than 1,000 of its Benin works to Nigeria.
The British Museum in London, which owns around 900 Benin Bronzes, is prohibited from removing items from its collection on a permanent basis under a UK law from 1963. There have been protests from members of the public and statements from Nigerian government officials demanding their return.
In a statement sent to The Art Newspaper, the British Museum said it “understands and recognises the significance of the issues surrounding the return of objects and works with communities, colleagues, and museums across the globe to share the collection as widely as possible”.
The statement continued: “We are working with the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) [in Benin City], the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and Wessex Archaeology on the ground in Benin City to help train a new generation of Nigerian archaeologists and develop a blueprint for best practice in preconstruction archaeology in Nigeria.
“This partnership focuses on developing a specialist archaeological project team within MOWAA to support the construction of [the museum’s research and collections centre] the Pavilion. To do this we’re supporting first of their kind excavations to learn more about the history of Benin City and are sharing and exchanging professional skills and expertise as well as offering fieldwork opportunities in the UK.”
The 113 items being returned from the Netherlands have been part of the Dutch national collection since the early 1900s. The Dutch government’s decision followed the advice of the Dutch Commission on Colonial Collections, following extensive provenance research on the history of the work’s acquisitions that was published in October.
“The objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting,” states the Dutch ministry’s website.
The same commission has previously recommended a number of high-profile returns of artefacts and cultural heritage items with colonial histories from other countries. Based on its recommendations, Dutch returned 288 items to Indonesia in September 2024, and 478 objects of cultural significance to Indonesia and Sri Lanka in 2023.
Around 50 Benin works were on display at the Wereldmuseum, while the rest were in storage. They’ll remain on display until 9 March, after which they’ll be sent to Nigeria.
