This Benin terracotta head is from the Court of Benin, Bini Tribe. (Nigeria, Africa) was originally created as a tusk holder for royal ancestral shrines. This reproduction was made using the "lost-wax method," and patinated with minerals to duplicate the rich red brown hues indigenous to Nigerian bronzes. The top of the head is missing, this is where a tusk would go. Sourced in Parma, Italy.

Dimensions: 9.5”H x 6.5”W x 6”D

The Making of a Royal Alter Head: The lost-wax casting process is a technique used by Benin sculptors to form the shape of the effigy head in a heat-resistant clay-core. This core is then covered with a layer of wax, in which the sculptor models, carves, and incises an image. Secondly, a thin layer of finely ground liquid clay is painted over the wax model then covered with increasingly thicker layers of clay. When the clay is completely dry, the assembly is heated to melt out the wax leaving an empty image or mold of the sculpted image of the head; for the hot molten metal to be filled in where the wax was and hot metal is poured into the mold. The sculptor must turn the complete assembly upside down to pour the hot molten metal, which is generally a mixture of copper alloys or brass. When the molten metal has cooled, the outer clay casing and inner clay core are broken to remove the casted sculpture or head.