Ife is very important in the history of African sculpture. Around the 13th and 14th centuries A.D. bronze sculptures were being cast in a naturalistic style. The more numerous and familiar Benin bronzes are derived in style and technique from those of Ife. Benin bronzes can be set in typological sequence to show progressive growth from naturalism to stylization. The most highly stylized were made after 1897 when the great mass of Benin bronzes was taken to Europe. The more naturalistic ones (also very thin) resemble the Ife castings more closely. According to W.B. Fagg (1963) metallurgical analysis of these castings supports this typology, for the Ife bronzes are nearly all copper, or brass, usually with a high lead content. The more naturalistic of the Benin castings are similarly of brass, while the more stylized ones are of tin bronze very probably obtained by trade with Europe. The five Ife castings which had not been examined, were tested, along with two other related pieces. The results, in tabular form, show that all the naturalistic 'bronzes' from Ife are really brasses.