What are the Benin bronzes, and why are they so controversial?

In 1897, British soldiers looted the sculptures, which now remain in Western museums and collections.

Known for its beauty and rich metalworking heritage, Benin City was once the beating heart of the Edo kingdom of Benin. The city – situated in modern-day southern Nigeria – was famed for its specialist bronze-sculpting guilds: groups of skilled artisans that produced works of huge historic and cultural importance. Upon accession to the throne, the Oba (king) of Benin would commission these guilds to craft intricate brass plaques remembering their predecessors’ reign.