The metallurgy in Africa appears in the VI century b.C., and unlike other continents, iron was used sooner than bronze. The modelling of the sculptures in bronze is made by the method of lost wax, retouching with a chisel and a file. The main masters in bronze are the Ashanti, from Ghana, that had their splendour in the XVIII century, when Osei Tutu founded the Ashanti Confederation, establishing the capital in Kumasi. The most valued metal was gold, but it could only be acquired by monarchy. That is why the people made their work in bronze and brass.
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