Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12% tin and often with the addition of other metals The discovery of bronze, about 3000 BC, enabled people to create metal objects which were harder and more durable than previously possible. Bronze tools, weapons, armor and jewelry were harder and more durable than their stone and copper predecessors. Cast bronzes are known to have been produced in Africa by the 9th century in Igboland in Nigeria, the 12th century in Yorubaland and the 15th century in the kingdom of Benin. In the 16th century a family of bronze artists moved from Mali to the Mossi-Kingdom in todays Burkina Faso. They served the Morgho Naaba, emperor of the Mossi. Their decendants still make bronze art work and are depicted in this portfolio. The casts are produced with the cire-perdue or lost-wax method. In this the process a duplicate bronze sculpture is cast from an original wax sculpture. Dependent on the sculptor's skills, intricate works can be achieved by this method.
BRONZE ART BACK