Ife, Akan and Benin : West African Art from 2000 Years

This is the first publication devoted to the collection of the Foundation 'Forgotten Cultural Treasures' which besides early terracottas from the Nok culture mainly includes superb bronzes from Ife.

Sculpture and ritual objects from the ancient Benin empire as well as precious gold jewellery from the Akan groups of Ghana are further highlights documenting the highly accomplished craftsmanship of West African cultures.

Complementing the collection are gold weights in the form of imaginative miniature sculptures showing human and animal motifs, and used for weighing gold dust.

Previously, objects from this culture area could only be vaguely placed in a chronological and stylistic context.

By using the most up-to-date research technology it is now possible to provide the objects with scientifically established dates, and this has resulted in questioning the whole edifice of traditional art historical attributions.