Benin Bronze Oba Box TR61

Benin “Oba” (King) Container, from the republic of Benin, crafted using the lost-wax method, it would typically be used by royalty to keep their valuable heirlooms.

The lost-wax casting method has been widely practised on the African continent for centuries. The technique requires a great deal of skill and involves extensive knowledge of pottery and metalworking. The method involves beeswax, latex or another material with a low melting point to be carved with fine details but it’s hard enough to retain its shape. The carved wax object is then coated in coarse layers of clay to dry. The entire assemblage is fired, causing the wax to melt leaving a baked clay shell, liquid metal is poured into the mould and left to cool and harden. Later the clay exterior is broken open to reveal the finished metal artefact beneath. The artefacts produced are always unique as the mould is destroyed as part of the casting process

Sizes:  22cmH x 33cmW

Edo people from the Benin Kingdom of Nigeria.