The Pot of Life is the first contemporary Benin 'bronze' commissioned for a British Museum. It was made in 2005.
Traditional West African techniques of lost-wax casting dating to at least the sixteenth century were used to make this intriguing work of art.
In Edo mythology, those who search for and find the pot of life are able to visit the spirit world. There they right the wrongs of injustice. They also encounter a range of beings before returning to the physical world.
Lucky Oboh's contemporary Pot of Life is an innovative design based on a nineteenth-century bronze from Benin City.
The lidded bowl is decorated with wild animals and sacred regalia. It sits on a stand composed of two snakes and a base, with a further tableau of wild creatures.
It is an imaginative exploration of a forest where powerful beings inhabit the borders between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Pot of Life
2005
Luck Oboh; Ikpomwosa Inneh
Brass, lead
Commissioned by Glasgow Museums, 2005
Number A.2006.1.a