Walk with Momma Statue
Walk with Momma Statue
  • SKU: 1801014

Walk with Momma Statue

$150.00

Country:   Burkina Faso
Material:   Bronze w/ patina
Sizing:       D:  5"; H:  14"  

The 400 artisans of Atelier de Formation et de Promotion des Artisans in Burkina Faso make bronze statues. The use the ancient lost wax method of casting bronze. It is one of the first known methods of bronze casting, dating back to the third millennium BC.

The artisans begin by meticulously molding a bees wax sculpture of a person. It is covered by two layers of banco (donkey dung and mud) then pounded with a pestle. A small hole is made in the banco so when the sculpture is put in the sun and on hot coals, the wax will melt and leave through the hole.

The artisans use recycled bronze found from bullet casings, bronze knobs from gas tanks, and any other pieces they’ve collected. Once heated, the bronze is poured into the banco shell and left to harden. After, the banco shell is destroyed using a hammer, leaving behind the bronze statue. It is refined using metal files. As a final step, each statue is signed by the artisan who made it, because it is truly a painstaking and unique work of art.

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