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Burkina Faso  (Africa)

Burkina Faso set with pretty original and brightly painted bronze figurines made with the so-called "cire-perdue" (lost wax) method. The dark bronze colour is obtained by heating the pieces in waste oil. In this set the dark pieces are painted black as well. These sets are always indicated as made by the Ashanti tribe for the tourist market. However, the Ashanti homeland is Ghana and it is very unlikely that they did make these sets. The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi.

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  • Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
  • ca. 1950
  • Bronze K 6.8; p 5.2

Burkina Faso or Mali. This cast bronze set has been made with the so called "cire-perdue" method from ship-generated waste. According Munger/I 1996 are these sets stimulated by the colourful iron Burkina Faso sets. The antelope is quite like the famous wooden figures with long graceful horns carved by the Bambara, a tribe in Mali. The itinerant Hausa does trade the sets, which is the reason that not always a precise origin can be determined. This set was bought in Ouagadougou. I have a similar set listed at the Mali page.

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  • Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
  • 1985
  • Bronze K 7.2; T 10.0; p 5.0
  • Note that a similar set can be found at Mali page