Dr. Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch

About Dr. Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch

Dr. Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch is Teel Curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and author of "The Benin Plaques: A 16th Century Imperial Monument," Oxford: Routledge, 2018.

Artist Unidentified, Relief plaque showing a dignitary with drum and two attendants striking gongs, c. 1530-1570, copper alloy (Robert Owen Lehman Collection, Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
The audience hall in the palace in Benin City communicated to visiting ambassadors, traders, courtiers, and subjects the power and wealth of the Oba, or king.

The Imagery of Power on Benin Bronze ...

Detail of Oba, Benin plaque, MFA, Boston
How to impress your courtiers: a lesson from the Kingdom of Benin

Benin Plaques

Detail of Oba, Benin plaque, MFA, Boston
How to impress your courtiers: a lesson from the Kingdom of Benin

Benin Plaques