THE BRILLIANCE OF THE BRONZE CASTING IN BENIN: THE LOST WAX CASTING TECHNIQUE.
The history of the ancient Benin Kingdom was written as visual metaphors. They could not easily be understood by Europe on contact, because Europe was uninitiated in the appreciation process, and did not have cultural spokespersons to tutor them on what, and how to see. Secondly, European prejudices against Africa could not allow them to see Benin bronzes as visual peeks into, and frozen frames from, the history, adventures, and exploits of the Benin Oba and his kingdom.
Little did the British, in 1897, know that when they forcibly carted away thousands of Benin Bronzes and ivories, they were conveying Benin visual history for global publication, recognition, and attention. Today, however, Benin’s artworks have gained that attention globally.
The immediacy of the forms, materials, and techniques of production stunned European curiosity, and the details of some of the works, the sophistry of the bronzes and ivories beat their imagination that the western world was bewildered and could not believe that such masterpieces could come from the ‘dark’ continent let alone been produced by the black ‘uncivilized’ people.
The British action of 1897, however, inadvertently, placed Benin art on the mappa mundia of world art and showed the world that the brass art of Benin is as stunning as the best cast art of the European Renaissance;*. Perhaps no Benin bronze work, in contemporary art historical reading, expresses this better than a twentieth-century Benin bronze showing “Oba Akenzua II greeting Queen Elizabeth II”. **, while a white male looks on.
The composition shows Oba Akenzua II, in a delicately, fully beaded regalia, while having a handshake with the Queen, staring right at her face, in a way the Warri man would describe as “eyeball-to-eyeball”, as though saying “…so we are equals after all?” It would also seem as though, the figure of the Queen is responding with apologies, saying “…oh! We did not realize that until recently”. Of note is the delicate and brilliant rendering of the texture of the Queen’s dress and that of the white onlooker’s clothing. The sand-textured impression on their clothing gives a needlepoint, velvety feel of royalty.
THE LOST-WAX (CIRE PERDUE) CASTING TECHNIQUE
The lost wax (cire perdue) casting technique, which the Igun Eronmwon, bronze casters adopt in their production of plaques and fully three-dimensional historical visual documentation were often used to produce heads of past Oba (Kings), Queen Mother, ritual scenes, soldiers returning from war, and some ritual/religious paraphernalia, to mention but a few. The first stage is to create a core with laterite/red earth.
The core is allowed to dry. After which a layer of wax modeling is done over the core. Forms are then defined with additional layer(s) of wax, (as required). The forms are detailed for finishing. The wax model is ready. On the finished wax model, wax coils are created and attached to strategic places to serve as runners, and risers/vents. The runners are channels through which molten metal is sent into the mold, (after the wax has been melted out), while the mold is hot. The runners are connected together at a funnel-like base.
The risers are vents through which trapped gases may escape in process of casting. The riser also serves as a meter through which the caster can read when the mold is full.
The second stage is molding/covering the finished wax model with a layer of laterite/red earth, all over, except the funnel-like base, and the tip of the riser(s). Small iron strips or rods are then used to bind the mold to serve as reinforcement, and to check metal expansion. Another layer of laterite is finally applied to cover the entire work except for the funnel-like base, and the tip of the riser. The molding process is finished and then allowed to dry.
The third stage involves de-waxing the mold in the fire, which melts out the wax, to create a vacuum, which will be filled with molten bronze. While that is going on, the bronze is being melted in a crucible, getting ready for liquid metal pouring. When the melted metal reaches the desired temperature of 1675F (913C), and the mold is fully dewaxed, molten metal is then poured into the hot mold. When casting is done and cooled, de-molding takes place to release the bronze work. After releasing the bronze work, soldering of not-fully-registered or defective parts is carried out. The sprues, (runners and risers), and any unwanted part(s) or casting irregularities are removed through cutting, filing, and cleaning. The finished bronze sculpture is ready.
In the naturalism of Benin court art, much attention is given to ornamental detailing and embellishments, especially on the bronzes and ivories. Such decorations include dots, linear, curvilinear, circular, and floral patterns. With reference to the technical brilliance, formal elegance, and iconographic complexity of Benin bronzes and the execution process, we conclude that they are now forever on the map of world art and we are uplifted by the extraordinary aesthetic and cultural achievement they present.
While the values that these works originally expressed for their makers were determined by religious beliefs and dynastic interests they were inseparable from the technical brilliance, formal elegance, and iconographic complexity of their execution.***
END NOTES
* Nevadomsky, Joseph. and Osemweri, Agbonifo. (2007) “Benin Art in the Twentieth Century” in Plankensteiner, B. (ed.) (2007) Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Art from Nigeria. Snoeck Publishers p.254–261.
** Oba Akenzua II greeting Queen Elizabeth II. 20th century Benin bronze. Source: Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.) (2007). Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Art from Nigeria. Snoeck Publishers p.254.
** Feest, Christian; Mohen, Jean-Pierre; König, Viola; and Cuno, James. (2007) “Preface” in Plankensteiner, B. (ed.) (2007) Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Art from Nigeria. Snoeck Publishers p.17
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