During the late 15th century, European visitors began arriving in Benin City and subsequently played important roles in trade, the military, religion, and belief. Edo artists incorporated a range of figures understood to represent Europeans into the visual language of Emwin Arre (royal treasures). These depictions served in part to communicate the power and reach of the Benin monarchy, making the “greatness of ruler and realm more palpable” and demonstrating that the Ọba’s authority extended beyond his own people to those who came from distant lands ( ).

European visitors came from a number of countries, including the Netherlands, Britain, France, and Italy. Portuguese visitors, however, had the most extensive and enduring influence, which is particularly evident in the visual language of Benin royal arts ( ).

European figures were incorporated into Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques), dating primarily to the 16th and 17th centuries, and Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks), dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. They are typically depicted with straight, shoulder-length hair and/or beards, rounded cap-like headwear, heavily pleated skirts, and jerkins ( ). These figures often appear alongside other motifs associated with European trade and contact, such as Ugianranran (manillas) and horses, or with warfare, such as firearms. In addition to full-length figures, the Uhunmwu Ikpotoki (Portuguese head) was incorporated into a wide range of objects, most likely as a symbol of power and wealth associated with overseas trade and, by extension, with Olokun, the deity of the sea.

European figures also became part of the visual language developed by the Emada, palace pages whose carving tradition differed from that of the royal guild of wood and ivory carvers, the Igbesamwan. Although the precise origins of the Emada carving tradition are uncertain, it is thought to have developed during the reign of Ọba Adolo, and many surviving examples are therefore dated to the 19th century. Their representations of Europeans differ from the conventions used in earlier depictions understood to represent Portuguese visitors. Rather than wearing pleated skirts and jerkins, these later figures are typically shown in suits, wide-brimmed hats, and smoking pipes, and may carry straighter, sabre-like swords, guns, or umbrellas.

Neptunes are brass or copper pans that became a highly sought-after import item in Benin during the 18th century, eventually replacing Ugianran (manilla) as a primary exchange commodity (Ben Amos 1999; Eisenhofer in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. nos. 32–34, p. 296). Unlike most of the other bronze and brass objects shown on Digital Benin, these were not produced by artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn but were made as trade goods in southern Germany (Weichmann 2022, p. 89). Although they are not among the most frequent motifs, they are symbolically important, representing the wealth brought to the Edo Kingdom through Olokun’s realm—the ocean. Neptunes are usually depicted being held by European figures with long, straight hair.

Many different kinds of Ẹrhu (headwear) are worn by the various figures depicted in the imagery of Benin royal artefacts. Through comparisons with ceremonial regalia still worn by chiefs and members of the royal court, including the Ọba himself, some Ẹrhu have been used to identify the different figures depicted. For example, the conical hat worn by high-ranking town chiefs as part of the pangolin regalia, still worn at ceremonies, is also visible on figures on some Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) ( ). Other examples include the distinctive bell-shaped helmet associated with the Iyasẹ ( ). Figures who wear a shallow-brimmed hat and a cross have been identified as Ewua or Ohensa priests ( ).

Different kinds of helmets and headwear were worn by warriors, reflecting the many different ranks and roles in the army at any given time, as well as developing trends that were in turn represented on Emwin Arhe created at different points in time. Warrior figures wearing helmets covered in cowrie shells were carved on the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) (Blackmun 1984, p. 330), yet on the brass Ama, warriors are sometimes depicted wearing helmets made from crocodile hide or horsehair with a front plate (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457). Helmets made from horsehair with a front plate are one of the more common types represented on the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn, and the demand for black horse tails was noted by both Portuguese and British traders during the late 17th and 18th centuries (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457). Other warriors depicted on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn wear helmets with a rounded top, chinstrap, and sometimes also a feather tucked into the left side. These types of headwear are known as Ẹrhu Iyokuo.

Attire worn for battle also differed from that worn for ceremonial occasions, such as the pointed headwear worn in combination with an ornate leopard-head tunic by war chiefs. Depictions of figures wearing this attire on brass Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) have been interpreted as representing the war chiefs’ participation in the war-ritual Isiokuo festival (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457).

Another distinctive form of headwear is that worn by figures identified as leopard hunters on the brass Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (relief plaques). These large helmets cover almost all of the leopard hunters’ faces except for their noses, eyes, and upper lips, and are made of an unusual material that remains unidentifiable (Plankensteiner 2007, cat. nos. 68–69, p. 322).

European figures are also portrayed with distinctive hats, such as Portuguese three-cornered hats. These depictions reflect the artists’ keen observation and highlight the impact of European trade and military assistance (Ezra 1992).

According to , this motif is known as Aghadaghada, a “play on the word ada,” meaning “crossroads.” The design appears as a background motif on a small number of Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) and is associated with Olokun and the period of close contact between the Benin Kingdom and the Portuguese Empire during the reigns of Ọba Ọzọlua, Ọba Ẹsigie, and Ọba Orhogbua ( ). At the time of Ben-Amos’s research, the same symbol was drawn in chalk at the centre of Olokun shrine courtyards in Benin City. described the design more literally as a “circled cross” and suggested that the Ama-Eronmwon bearing this background motif may have been cast by a particular ‘master’ or member of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn.

More broadly, the cross, with its four points, references the number four, which has significance in Edo belief: the Edo week consists of four days, and each day is divided into four parts ( ). Other cross forms are treated as distinct motifs and are discussed separately under Uman-Ague (equal-armed cross).