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African Lost–Wax Casting: Bronze, Copper, and Brass

The term bronze is deceptive. Because metallic content cannot be determined from appearance, cast sculptures made from a variety of metal alloys are often all referred to as bronzes. Copper, which is easily worked through smithing, is particularly difficult to cast without the addition of other metals that slow its oxidation rate and improve the flow of the molten metal. Different alloys of copper mixed with zinc, tin, and lead result in what are more accurately referred to as bronzes (copper and tin) and brasses (copper and zinc). The metals used in West African sculptures come from a variety of sources. Tin is plentiful in Nigeria, and in the 1980s copper and lead sources that appear to have been mined were identified in southeast Nigeria. Certainly, however, the greatest periods of casting coincide with the influx of metals into the region from outside. The metals used in Ife bronzeworks were from brass brought across the Sahara by Arab caravans beginning in the twelfth century. In the fifteenth century, copper and brass were brought by Portuguese trading ships, contributing to another increase in metalwork.

The metals used in Ife bronzeworks were from brass brought across the Sahara by Arab caravans.

Related

Timelines (2)

• Guinea Coast, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Guinea Coast, 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (4)

• African Lost-Wax Casting
• African Lost-Wax Casting: Tada Figure
• The Portuguese in Africa, 1415–1600
• Trade and the Spread of Islam in Africa

Other Thematic Essays (5)

• American Bronze Casting
• Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels
• Direct versus Indirect Casting of Small Bronzes in the Italian Renaissance
• Igbo-Ukwu (ca. 9th century)
• The Technique of Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece

Maps (2)

• Africa, 500-1000 A.D.
• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (11)

Art Movement/Style

• Classical Kerma in Central African Art
• Lower Niger Bronze Industry of Western Africa

Geography/Place

• Guinea Coast

Material and Technique

• Brass
• Bronze
• Bronze from Africa and Egypt
• Copper

Object

• Silver Vessel from Africa and Egypt

Subject Matter/Theme

• Trade (1000–1400 a.d.)
• Trade (1400–1600 a.d.)
• Trade (500–1000 a.d.)

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Alice Apley Independent Scholar

Citation Apley, Alice. "African Lost-Wax Casting: Bronze, Copper, and Brass". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/brnz/hd_brnz.htm (October 2001) Further Reading Burland, C. A. Lost Wax: Metal Casting on the Guinea Coast. Exhibition catalogue.. London: The Studio, 1957. Drewal, Henry John, John Pemberton III, and Rowland Abiodun. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. New York: Center for African Art, 1989. Eyo, Ekpo, and Frank Willett Treasures of Ancient Nigeria. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Knopf, 1980. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)