Chinese Antiques

Antique Vases, Bowls, Statues, swords and more

Bronzes

August 20th, 2008

Angie

Bronzes

Keurig 5071 K-Cup Carousel Tower

$20.29

Here’s the perfect way to store and organize your K-cups and have them ready whenever you’re ready fo a delicious, hot beverage. This counter piece features a lazy-susan base for simple rotation and the black and grey design suits most kitchen styles. The Keurig 5071 K-Cup Carousel Tower is a perfect accessory for owners of Keurig K-Cup coffee machines.
Coffee K-Cups are not included in the tower….

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Cookware Universal Pot Rack Hooks, Set of 6

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Spectrum Wall-Mountable Black Scroll Spice Rack

$14.99

Store all your spices in one easily-viewable place. The Scroll Wall Mounted Spice Rack takes all your spices out of the cupboard and off the shelves, storing them all in this stylish three tiered rack. It can also be used to store other small bottles or containers. The beautiful scroll design adds a traditional touch to your room, while perfectly complementing any decor Made of durable metal, this…

Eric Clapton – Live in Hyde Park

$18.37

London’s venerable Hyde Park is the setting for an unforgettable evening of rock and blues standards from the guitar legend and his band. “Layla,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Tearin’ Us Apart,” “Have You Ever Loved a Woman” and “White Room” are among the dozen songs performed. 90 min….

Dreddy Kruger Presents: Think Differently Music – Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture The Lost Files

$6.99

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Bronze Metal and Bronze Casting Described

Bronze Casting has been practiced for centuries. Many civilizations have used this alloy for weapons, sculptures, and general pieces of hardware. The popular way to cast bronze is the Lost Wax Casting process which was first used sometime in the 3000 BC near ancient Sumeria. The Lost Wax process is still used to this day and its modern equivalent Investment Casting is very popular with jewelry makers.

Bronze is the preferred alloy for metal working artists as it’s relatively easy to work with and resistant to corrosion. The properties of bronze tend to be stronger than most other alloys, except of course for steel, and lends itself easily to the molding and casting process. Many small foundries like the kind that can be found in a backyard or workshop find that bronze is a great material to work with and with a melting point of 1,700 Fahrenheit or about 925 Celsius many homemade furnaces are able to melt down the bronze quickly and efficiently.

Many modern day artists create their own furnaces with the metal casting in mind. These metal casters employ the Lost Wax Casting method which proves to be the best when dealing with the alloy. The Lost Wax Casting is making an original of the sculpture from wax and then creating a mold using this original. Often times the original is lost during the mold making process so keep that in mind if you want to hang on to the original for whatever reason. Molten wax is poured into the mold which is chased or smoothed of imperfections. During this point, any other pieces are attached and small wax tubes are placed into the piece. These tubes will be how the molten bronze is going to travel into the piece replacing wax with the alloy. When this is complete the artist will create a ceramic shell around the wax model. This shell will help form the molten bronze which will melt the wax. When the molten bronze is poured the bronze takes place of the wax. Afterwards, the artist will crack the shell and reveal the bronze piece. This method allows the transfer of very exact detail from the wax to the bronze.

Patina is added to the figure at the artist’s discretion. The Patina is a chemical that when applied to bronze creates colors and makes the bronze take an aged look. The Patrina compounds used depends on the type of color desired. Ferric Nitrate will make the bronze take on a red or brown color while Sulphurated Potash will make black and Cupric Nitrate will create blue and green. Modern day artists choose to go with a very high polished bronze instead of using these compounds. This step depends solely on the artist’s taste and the look they are going for.

Bronze casting will remain a popular medium until another alloy is developed that exhibits properties that are easier to manage and are more resistant to corrosion. Casting the alloy is easily done so metal casters that want to experiment are encouraged to do so. Making anything from small figurines, large sculptures, and even cabinet handles can be accomplished with the use of bronze. The only limitations in bronze casting are with the caster himself.

Who is the sculptor of the bronze boar and stag with hounds on terrace Huntington Library main gallery?

These two bronze sculptures noted in this inquiry sit on the terrace of the Huntington residence, called the Main Gallery, on the Huntington Library grounds. One depicts a boar attacked by hounds; the other a stag attacked by hounds. The docent told me he thought they were Italian in origin, but did not know more than that. Appreciate any information as to the sculptor, country of origin and dates of creation. Thank you.

Quotes:
Stag on terrace South terrace with new paint and awnings.
The Stag Hunt, French, 19th-century, after Jacques Houzeau
(1624–91) in foreground.
Source: The Huntington Art Gallery

http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary_02.aspx?id=3754

The Huntington’s terrace view is framed by sensational —
and brutal — life-size bronze sculptures, cast in 1680-81
for Jacques Houzeau. The French animalier, an artist
specializing in realistic animal portrayals, helped decorate
the gardens at Versailles.

In a now-weathered green patina, these sculptures show
slavering dogs bringing down a ferocious wild boar and a
regal stag. Survival is hard in the turbulent forest, the
theatrical sculptures assert, but powerful, civilized creatures
can triumph over the feral and the savage.
Source: The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-huntington25-2008may25,0,7065425,full.story