This hollow metal sculpture of the head and shoulders of an African woman is a replica of a Queen Mother Benin bronze. The original version would have been made in bronze using the lost-wax casting technique.

In the early 16^th Century Benin king Oba–Esigie first introduced the title of Queen mother to honor his own mother Idia. Since then each Oba has given this title to his mother and there are many sculptures representing successive queens, some now in the British Museum.

Bronze casting was a royal art in Benin. The sculptures were made using the lost wax process. Each sculpture was handmade made from clay and then covered with a layer of wax. The sculpture was then covered with another layer of clay, trapping the wax inside. Finally molten bronze was poured into the mould, melting the wax and leaving a hollow metal residue which becomes the sculpture.

Benin sculpture is traditionally made from bronze which is an alloy of copper and tin. The replica here is probably made from brass (alloy of copper and zinc) and is golden in colour.