NEW YORK, June 30 (AGCNewsNet) – The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has officially returned two looted artworks from the historic Benin Kingdom to Nigeria in a symbolic repatriation ceremony held at Nigeria House in New York City.

The artifacts – a terracotta and iron Commemorative Head from the 16th or 17th century and a 16th-century bronze Relief Plaque Showing Two Officials with Raised Swords – were handed over to Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, representing His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, and Ambassador Samson Itegboje of Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The return was facilitated by Dr. Arese Carrington, a member of the MFA’s Board of Advisors, in partnership with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., which will oversee the artifacts' transfer to Benin.

“This moment is deeply gratifying,” said Matthew Teitelbaum, Director of the MFA. “As custodians of these exceptional objects for the past 12 years, it is an honour to see them returned to their rightful owner.”

The two works were among the many looted by British forces during the 1897 invasion of Benin. The Commemorative Head surfaced in the London art market in 1899, sold by British dealers who handled looted Benin objects. The Relief Plaque was directly sold by the Crown Agent of the Niger Coast Protectorate in 1898.

Both items passed through various collectors, including Augustus Pitt-Rivers and Robert Owen Lehman, before entering the MFA collection in 2013 and 2018.

While three additional Benin pieces remain in the MFA's collection, the museum noted that the provenance of these works remains unclear, with ongoing research into their history.

The repatriation event drew representatives from Nigeria’s diplomatic corps, MFA officials, and members of the Benin community in New York.

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