kingdom of benin
Court Plaque Depicting a Portuguese Soldier, 16th century
Cast brass palace plaque depicting a Portuguese soldier (Ahoi) in military dress, 16th century CE. The Kingdom of Benin engaged in sustained trade with Portuguese merchants from the 1480s, and court plaques depicting Portuguese traders and soldiers are iconographically significant records of this early contact. Multiple such plaques were seized in 1897 and dispersed across European and American institutions.
Scholarly Significance
Benin Bronzes Axis-3 expansion — plaque depicting Portuguese figure, demonstrating Benin court's documentation of early European contact. Key iconographic record of 15th–16th century Luso-Benin trade relations.