The Benin Bronzes are arguably the most famous and notable historical artefacts associated with Benin culture. Created from the 16th century onwards, the term is used to refer to thousands of statues, plaques, masks, figurines and decorative ornaments, among other items. The Kingdom of Benin had a number of specialist guilds who were responsible for the now-famous sculptures.
Despite the name, some of the items are not actually made from bronze – an ivory mask, for example, is part of the collection. The Benin Bronzes are all items that were stolen by the British during the destruction of the city in 1897. The British Museum has the largest collection of bronzes, with some 900 objects, though others such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin also have collections, theirs numbering 500.