Bronze (brass)
Αlloy of copper and tin, harder and more suitable for casting than bronze. Its properties are enhanced by patina that appears on it over time. Its virtues were known and were estimated way back. Both ancient Greek and Chinese bronzes statues can already be distinguished by their too high level of performance. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the "secret" of casting forms (lost wax) was lost and the bronze sculptures had disappeared- until Renaissance, so once again experienced a great boom. Remarkable examples of sculpture in bronze also include the art of Ife and Bénin, in Africa.