Researching the provenance of objects from the Kingdom of Benin
Researching the provenance of objects from the Kingdom of Benin
This research proposal funded by the German Lost Art Foundation focuses on objects from the Kingdom of Benin (in present-day Nigeria) which are in the collection of the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt. This six-month project aims to examine the provenance of these objects in greater detail. A particular emphasis will be placed on determining whether objects from the British “punitive” expedition in 1897 were brought to Europe and ultimately ended up in the Völkermuseum, as the Weltkulturen Museum was then called.
Figure of a rooster, Benin Empire, Nigeria. Dealer: William Ockelford Oldman. Collection Weltkulturen Museum. Photo: Wolfgang Günzel
In the Frankfurt museum, 57 objects have been listed in the inventory as having a geographical link to Benin. Conducting research into the biography of the objects has been hindered by the history of the museum itself: The Weltkulturen Museum collections date back to the holdings of the Senckenbergische Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, which was established in 1817. Parts of its collection were transferred to the Historisches Museum in 1877 and were further transferred to the newly founded Städtische Völkermuseum in 1904. This museum was subject to multiple bombing attacks during World War II. Generally speaking, information about the origins of the objects is extremely limited due to the crucial loss of the museum’s own documentary archive when Frankfurt was bombed in the war. The few archived documents to have survived contain very little information on how the Benin objects made their way into the collection. The project will have to research documents in other museums and archives, as well as comparing objects in the Weltkulturen Museum with those in other institutions.
Ceremonial sword "Eben". Benin Empire, Nigeria. Dealer: Wiliam Ockelford Oldman. Collection Weltkulturen Museum. Photo: Wolfgang Günzel
This research will be conducted by the cultural studies scholar Audrey Peraldi on behalf of the Museum. The findings will serve as the starting point for an in-depth dialogue with Nigerian partners and facilitate political negotiations at the municipal and national levels.
