The Metropolitan Museum of Art has arranged for three Nigerian sculptures to return home — a queen mother figure and two terracotta busts — while keeping them on display in New York through a long-term loan deal.
A long-term loan arrangement was the basis of the deal. The works will be put on display in the Rockefeller Wing’s Arts of Africa galleries later this month. Officials from Nigeria did not comment in the report.
Pulitzer’s Gift and the Museum’s Limits
Last year, Collector Ceil Pulitzer wanted to donate one copper figure and two terracotta busts from her collection to The Met. She comes from Arkansas, and she married into the family that founded the Pulitzer Prizes and Pulitzer Publishing Company in 1970, which led her to begin collecting African art.
When Pulitzer added three pieces to her collection, she offered a comprehensive account of how she came to own each one, spanning the time between 2015 and 2018. Yet that degree of detail did not meet the museum’s requirements for accepting the gift.
The Queen Mother Figure
The standout piece is an Edo copper figure representing an iyọ́bà (queen mother) from the Kingdom of Benin, a rare, standalone depiction of a woman in the kingdom’s courtly tradition, and it is dated to around the 18th century.
Within the altar tableau, most queen mother sculptures stand out as the central figure in arrangements that surround them. The distinct quality of this figure might suggest it marks an especially prominent iyọ́bà who held the title sometime between the late 17th and 18th centuries.
What the Pieces Add
Three sculptures add to The Met’s collection of Nigerian art, serving as peak examples of Ife and Benin artistic traditions.
The loan deal acts as a compromise. The Met continues to show the pieces in New York while acknowledging Nigeria’s ownership of them. The terms of the arrangement are set up as a long-term loan, not a transfer of title.
The Provenance That Fell Short
Pulitzer’s provenance was detailed. She knew precisely when she acquired each piece, spanning 2015 through 2018. The information fell short of the museum’s prerequisites for accepting the gift.
The timeline matters here. Pulitzer acquired the pieces between 2015 and 2018, and the provenance covered that period.
The Works on View
The three pieces are:
- One copper figure representing an iyọ́bà (queen mother) from the Kingdom of Benin
- Two terracotta busts
All three are currently being shown in the Rockefeller Wing’s Arts of Africa galleries.
Key Facts Box
- Works: Three sculptures — one copper figure, two terracotta busts
- Provenance: Provided by Ceil Pulitzer, acquired 2015–2018
- Period: 12th–18th centuries
- Loan: Long-term, to be displayed in the Rockefeller Wing’s Arts of Africa galleries
The Final Arrangement
Instead of a gift, the loan arrangement is set up as a long-term loan. The Met keeps the works on display in New York, meanwhile Nigeria’s claim on them is honored.
The museum chose to pursue a loan instead of accepting the gift, and that choice stands out. Pulitzer has laid out detailed provenance for the three works she purchased between 2015 and 2018, yet that information did not meet the museum’s requirements for accepting the gift.
Source material: “Met Museum Brokers Return of Three Artworks to Nigeria,” Hyperallergic.
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