Benin Bronzes - African bronze sculptures

Benin bronzes and African bronze sculptures straight from the kingdom of Benin. Bronze heads, Benin leopards, bronze plaques and other sculptures are currently available. You can place your orders by filling out the form in the contact page.

Benin bronze head

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Benin Bronze Head (Oba)
24cm x 11cm
Price: 150 Euro

Benin Queen mother

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Benin Bronze Head (Iyoba)
24cm, base 7cm by 7cm
Price: 150 Euro

Benin Bronzes

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Royal bronze sculpture with mudfish and crocodile
45cm high 28cm wide
Price 300 Euro

Benin bronze leopard

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Benin bronze Leopard
30cm high 20cm wide
Price: 160 Euro

African Bronze Sculptures -Where do they come from?

These African bronze sculptures come from the ancient city of Benin in West Africa. These unique bronzes were made popular subsequent to the British expedition in 1897. The conquering of the Benin kingdom by the British forces, and subsequent evacuation of the works of art to England, exposed the bronze masterpieces to the world.
For Benin, bronze casting had always been a royal art (court art). The bronze casters were assigned their quarters and made the bronzes solely for the King (Oba). Today, these artists continue to cast bronze sculptures but in limited numbers.

BENIN BRONZES - making them

Benin Bronze sculptures are made using the lost Wax process. Whether it is bronze plaques, Queen heads, King heads or the famous royal leopard sculptures, the process for making the bronzes is the same.
First a mould is formed with red clay (mud). Laterite abounds in this African city. The mould will serve as the inner core of the bronze sculpture. Subsequently, a layer of wax is applied over the clay sculpture. The thickness of this wax layer will determine the final thickness of the Benin bronze sculpture.
The next step involves covering the waxed sculpture with a second layer of clay. This is done skillfully with provision made for the drainage of the wax from the sculpture.
This multi-layered sculpture is then heated and the melted wax drains out from the vent.
The result? A two-layered bronze casting mould consisting of a solid clay core, a hollow center and an outer clay covering.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Brass is made with copper and zinc. Although the Benin sculptures are generally termed bronzes, almost an equal number are made with brass or a mix of bronze and brass. The difference lies in bronze having a duller appearance and bronze being more expensive than brass.
The selected metals are heated in a coal fired furnace till they reach melting point. The molten bronze is then poured into the mould and then allowed to cool.
On cooling the clay layers are broken, revealing the hollow, beautiful African bronze sculptures, the sculptures that have made Benin art renowned world over.

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