The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has officially returned two significant works of art from the historic Benin Kingdom to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin. The restitution ceremony took place at the Nigeria House in New York City, a location that serves as both the permanent mission of Nigeria to the United Nations and the Consulate General of Nigeria. During the event, the precious artifacts were presented to His Royal Highness Prince Aghatise Erediauwa and Ambassador Samson Itegboje of the Embassy of Nigeria.

The meticulous transfer process was coordinated and facilitated by Dr. Arese Carrington, a distinguished member of the MFA’s Board of Advisors. Future handling, care, transit to Nigeria, and final delivery to the Oba of Benin will be managed by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, in close collaboration with the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, D.C. The ceremony underscored the global importance of cultural heritage restitution, drawing attendance from key figures in both the art and diplomatic communities. Notable attendees included Ambassador Abubakar Jidda, Consul General of Nigeria, New York; Matthew Teitelbaum, the MFA’s Ann and Graham Gund Director; Pierre Terjanian, the MFA’s Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation; and Victoria Reed, the MFA’s Senior Curator for Provenance. Members of the Benin community in New York were also present to witness this historic return.

Matthew Teitelbaum, the MFA’s Director, expressed profound satisfaction in returning the artworks to their rightful cultural home. He stated that it was “deeply gratifying to see them returned to their rightful owner” and extended thanks to Dr. Arese Carrington, Ambassador Itegboje, and Consul General Jidda for their partnership in this meaningful event. Karen Frascona, Director of Marketing and Communications for the MFA, also confirmed the details of the handover in an official statement, emphasizing that the two objects are steeped in the painful history of colonial plunder, their journey from looting to restitution spanning more than a century.

The two objects restituted were a terracotta and iron Commemorative Head, dating from the 16th or 17th century, and a 16th-century bronze Relief Plaque Showing Two Officials with Raised Swords. Both of these artifacts share a painful history, having been looted by British soldiers during the notorious military attack on the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. The Commemorative Head’s provenance traces back to the London art market in 1899, where it was sold by dealer William Cutter to another dealer, William Downing Webster, alongside other items plundered from Benin. The Relief Plaque’s origins can be directly linked to the Crown Agent of the Niger Coast Protectorate, the British protectorate state whose forces led the 1897 attack, who sold it in 1898.

Subsequently, both works were acquired by Augustus Pitt-Rivers (1827–1900) for the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Farnham, England. When this museum closed in the 1960s, its collections were dispersed. The two works eventually became part of Robert Owen Lehman’s collection of Benin Kingdom artwork, which he built between the 1960s and 1980s. Lehman later donated these significant pieces to the MFA in 2013 and 2018, respectively. It is important to note that three other works of art from the Benin Kingdom currently remain in the MFA’s collection. The provenance of these remaining items is inconclusive, as they can only be traced to European and American art markets in the latter half of the 20th century, with uncertainty surrounding when or how they originally left Benin. Research into the history of these objects is ongoing.