And among them is the Emblem of Agadja, the fifth king of Abomey (present-day Benin).
It is a caravel, made of hammered silver, decorated with three sails and two small anchors hanging under its hull.
It evokes the 18th century slave trade Agadja engaged in with Westerners via the port of Ouidah in the Gulf of Guinea.
The precious vessel could have crowned an assen in the 19th century, a ritual object perpetuating the link with this royal ancestor.
26 objects returned to Benin
In spite of the emblem s painful symbolism, could Benin s government demand it be returned to its country?