Chapter 2 The Casting Tradition 03 / 12

A Court Rendered in Metal

Craft That Destroys to Create

The lost-wax method consumes each original in the casting — every plaque is a unique, unrepeatable impression in brass.

Walls That Remember the Court

Over four hundred panels once covered the palace pillars — the Oba, attendants, warriors, and traders rendered in dense relief.

Every Strand Bears a Title

Coral bead collars mark divine kingship; carved ivory tusks channel ancestral power — each layer of regalia holds specific rank.

Scattered in 1897, Returning Still

The expedition dispersed thousands of works across European collections — each return restores a fragment of court record.