Phil Omodamwen, a sixth-generation Benin bronze caster, speaks to us about the importance of repatriation, the new bronze artwork the museum has commissioned, and working in a 250-year-old forge in Banbury!
Phil Omodamwen is a sixth-generation bronze caster from Benin City in Nigeria. He is a member of just one of 11 families licenced by the Kingdom of Benin to practice traditional bronze casting. He uses the lost wax method of bronze casting to produce his pieces, working in traditional ways which have been passed down through generations of fathers and sons.
He is working with the Making the Museum project to inform our understanding of lost wax bronze casting processes, helping us to better understand their detail and intricacy. However, Phil’s collaboration with the museum is also helping us to confront the theft of works from Benin in 1897.
The piece the museum has commissioned him to make – a brand new Benin bronze plaque, titled "Looting of the Oba's Palace in 1897" – shows what the altar in the palace would have looked like before 1897 on the left, and British soldiers in the act of looting on the right. This piece will help us to tell this history in the museum, and its purchase supports the continuation of traditional bronze casting practices in Benin today.
This plaque is the first of its kind to be produced - the only piece depicting the looting - and at c.80cm tall also one of the largest! It will make quite an impact in the museum displays and we hope you will come and visit the new display when it is installed mid-2026!
In this episode, listen to Phil discuss why the repatriation of Benin bronze artworks is important, as well as learning about the lost wax casting process, and finding out more about work Phil produced right here in Oxfordshire with Ems Orving, blacksmith at the historic forge at Tooley’s Boatyard, Banbury.
See more of Phil’s work on his social media pages:
https://www.instagram.com/omobronze/
https://x.com/omobronze
Want to follow along when we’re talking about collections items?
Numerous bells from Benin are discussed (and rung) throughout this episode. The bells in our collection that are from Benin are:
1900.39.10 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38732)
1900.39.11 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38733)
1917.38.1 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38734)
1917.38.2 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38735)
1941.2.117 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38736)
1941.2.118 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38737)
1941.2.119 (https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-38738)
The items Phil has made for the museum have not yet been added to the online catalogue, but you can view images of the commissioned plaque in posts from Friday 28th November 2025 on the museum’s social media accounts:
https://bsky.app/profile/pittriversmuseum.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/pittriversmuseum/
https://x.com/Pitt_Rivers
You can see video footage of Phil’s time working in Tooley’s Boatyard forge in Banbury on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_q-BfoGOPM&t=2s
This episode features sounds recorded during Phil’s time in the Tooley’s Boatyard forge with Ems Orving, captured by Tim Hand, Chris Morton, and Beth Hodgett, reproduced with permission.
You will hear from (in order of appearance):
Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Martin (she/her) – Research Project Officer, Making the Museum project
Phil Omodamwen (he/him) – sixth-generation Benin bronze caster
Prof. Chris Morton (he/him) – Principal Investigator (PI), Making the Museum project
Dr. Beth Hodgett (they/them) – Postdoctoral Researcher, Making the Museum project
