Episode 31: The Benin Bronzes, Part I

Ahoy, there! This episode is the first in a two-part series exploring the Benin Bronzes, a body of several thousand objects in bronze and brass that were looted from the Kingdom of Benin by the British in 1897. In this episode, we explore the historical and cultural context in which these magnificent bronze works were created, used, and beloved before talking about the bronzes themselves: what do they show? For what purposes were they made? What in the heck is lost wax casting? Come for the knowledge, stay in spite of my terrible pronunciation of Edo words/names.