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A Mother's Delight Lost Wax Bronze Sculpture
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THE LOST WAX WAY


Artisans in Burkina Faso convey the serene beauty of feminine Africa in bronze, cast with the lost wax method: the sculpture is carved in beeswax and a clay mold is formed around it, then the wax is melted away, leaving a void to fill with molten bronze.

When we receive shipments from Burkina, I love looking at each sculpture and imagining how the piece came together as it was shaped in wax. The amount of time invested in small details always comes through, and rush jobs are equally evident. This artistic style focuses mainly on a smoothly contoured figure in repose, which can be replicated quite closely. To give each piece individuality, roughly-textured frocks wrap each figure with folds and flares in slightly different array--guaranteeing that each piece is completely one-of-a-kind.

Sculptures of figures of all shapes and sizes emerge from the foundry, from tiny dancing ladies to towering statues. In true Burkinabe spirit, an appreciation for distinctiveness shines through each creation. While an August terrorist attack in Burkina's capital city, Ougadougou, may make the country seem like a dangerous place to visit, our agent Abraham affirms our shock to again hear of this lovely city and its kind people falling to harm.

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