Unlikely link to the 1897 British military campaign Rosalie Hans with Annette Schmidt
A number of artworks have entered the collections of the four museums with identification that they originated from the Kingdom of Benin, and some assumption of linkage to 1897. This provenance research has sought to look at all assumptions critically through documentation, art historical analysis and consultation with specialists and individuals. Research has revealed that for 46 of the pieces a link to the events of 1897 in Benin City is unlikely. One of the reasons for this assessment is that certain objects do not appear to be from the Kingdom of Benin but from other areas of Nigeria, while others were seemingly misidentified through earlier documentation. In other cases, the date of acquisition makes a post-1897 manufacture date more likely and stylistic features of the pieces reflect this later dating.
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