ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evidence that can be gleaned from the patterns on the sides of the wide plaques. Art historians studying the Benin plaques have yet to propose a reconstruction of the original installation plan of the corpus within the audience hall of the palace. The ornamental flourishes may be the key that unlocks the plaques' authorship, timeline of production, and physical connection to the architecture of the court. The proportion of plaques with human subjects versus animal or inanimate subjects also changes between the different flange-pattern types. The surface of the plaque is filled with ornamental motifs or the expansion of the primary composition into the corners of the plaque. While the rationale for shifting stylistic decisions in the corpus must remain speculative, these differences between the three flange-pattern groups provide evidence for dating the plaques relative to each other.
