Gold Dust Box

Used for storing gold dust. Similar to boxes found in the Kingdom of Benin, that were made by the Edo people.

Cast using the lost-wax technique ("cire perdue"). Akan/Asante brass-casters achieved works of great technical virtuosity by use of the lost wax process. A wax model was made and given several coats of a fine clay paste mixed with ground charcoal. A number of thin wax rods were attached to the wax model, which enabled holes to be formed through which the metal would be poured. After several coatings giving a thickness of between 3-6 mm had been applied, an outer layer of clay was carefully built-up around it and left until dry. The mould was heated and the molten wax tipped-out. A small clay cup containing the metal was sealed tightly against the hole leading to the inside of the mould. The mould and cup were then returned to the furnace and heated until the metal was molten. Tongs were used to quickly invert the mould so it was filled with the molten metal. The mould was then removed from the furnace and allowed to stand until it had cooled and the metal solidified. Lastly, it was broken open and the casting cleaned.

House-shaped box with lid. The cylindrical box is made of a thin sheet of brass that is joined at a seam held together with nails. It is decorated with a series of regularly spaced vertical lines, reminiscent of slats on a house. A removable cone shaped lid tops the box, and its rim fits snuggly over the box’s edge. The lid is decorated with patterns of lines of different lengths and at different angles, suggesting a straw roof. The top point of the box is bent slightly inward and has a small hole in the centre. The box sits on an attached bottomless base of the same construction. It has three rectangular holes cut into it, like small windows. It is also decorated with the slat motif.