National Gallery recognises launch of Digital Benin

The National Gallery of Australia is delighted to recognise the launch of Digital Benin, an extraordinary resource for the material culture and history of the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria. The website documents, for the first time, thousands of the world-famous Benin ‘bronzes’—ceremonial brass sculptures that adorned the Benin Court from the 15th to the 19th century, as well as the remarkable objects in wood and ivory created by skilful Edo and Yoruba artists—along with Edo language terms, maps and information about the makers’ guilds.

Thousands of these objects, looted by British forces in 1897, are now dispersed across museum and private collections worldwide. Digital Benin offers researchers and the general public documentation of the objects, combined with rich contextual information and oral histories to promote awareness of the artistic traditions of Benin and Nigeria. Digital Benin is the culmination of research by multiple institutions throughout the world, all brought together via the technical resources of the project team.

While the number of works in the National Gallery’s care is relatively modest, we acknowledge the importance of Digital Benin for patrimony, Itan Edo (story of Benin Kingdom) and indigenous histories.

For more information about the Digital Benin project visit www.digitalbenin.org

Information on the works in the National Gallery’s care available HERE