Egyptian small lost-wax bronze sculpture of figurines were made in large numbers, but the true marvels of bronze casting were made on the other side of the Mediterranean sea.Īlthough they were not the first ones to use the materials, the Greeks were the first to scale the bronze statues up to life size. Dancing Girl from Mohenjodaro belonging to the Harappan civilization dates back to 2500 BCE and is the oldest bronze statue still in existence.

The great civilizations of the old world worked in bronze for art's sake ever since the introduction of the alloy for tools and edged weapons. ĭancing Girl from Mohenjodaro, via The Material's Golden Age The most common method for making bronze sculptures is the lost-wax casting process. The material's strength and ductility are also great advantages whenever figures in action need to be created, unlike the case is with most stone sculptures and wood techniques. As the bronze cools, it begins to shrink a little, making it easier to separate from the mold. Advantages of Casting Bronze SculptureĬommon bronze alloys have the unusual property of expanding slightly just before they set, a quality that made it extremely desirable in artistic circles as it made filling the finest details a much easier feat. Additionally, this material reached its definite peak both technically and creatively through bronze statues and various sculpture types in history. The widespread personification of bronze in sculptures means it is often best known for existing in these particular forms. This commonly lead to varying mixtures that saw bronze get combined with materials such as copper, zinc, tin, lead, nickel, iron, antimony, etc.īefore we get to the artistic aspects of the material that will be the main concern of this text, it must be noted that bronze has not been used to create big bronze statues only - this material was always incredibly popular for the creation of things such as weapons, musical instruments and medals. However, historically speaking, bronze material was highly variable in composition, as most metalworkers probably used whatever scrap they could get their hands on. So, what is bronze exactly? Typically, modern bronze is 88% copper and 12% tin. Pouring Molten Bronze into a Mold, via Breaking from the Mold - Bronze as a Material It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements to be fitted to other objects such as furniture or just about any kind of weaponry. The art of bronze sculpture was nearly forgotten and then 'rediscovered' on two occasions - once during the Renaissance period and then during the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century.įrom a historical perspective, bronze is the most popular material for cast metal sculptures. This art form had a very turbulent history. Starting with the first smelting of metals, bronze sculpture has been part of humankind's attempt to create artistic images of the world around it.

Bronze animal age statues