22 Comments
Alex Maier
2/29/2024 11:12:05 am
The main thing I found interesting was the entire process itself. While the process looks intriguing and has the possibility of yielding a great result, I believe performing it would be very tedious. Previously, I knew that this was the method to cast bronze objects, however, I did not understand the complexity of building the frame, along with the wax molded channels which allow the material to flow into the find mold. While this process looks highly rewarding, there are quite a few moments of possible failure. For one, the mold needs to be transported multiple times. During any of these movements, the whole set up could be dropped and broken, and the artist would need to start over. In addition, the whole process involves dangerous materials such as molten metal, boiling beeswax, and the use of super heating equipment such as the kiln and a furnace. If an artist were to burn their hands, their career could be over. It is important that this process be done with a team of people who know what they are doing. Another disadvantage is that, since the ceramic needs to be broken off the bronze, the frame cannot be used again, and therefore, in addition with the wax and nails, this method does not yield much product relative to the amount of material used.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 05:09:01 pm
Your summary and insights into this process, Alex, are absolutely en pointe!! We look at a finished bronze sculpture and we don't realize the complexities of the process, the cost of material and its time consuming nature, and the potential harm to the foundry workers (a poorly poured and/or structured mold could cause an explosion). Not to mention the gases emitted could be toxic and something we know was of consequence to many artists and craftsmen in ancient times too. For sure, too, the yield is minimal unless you've created multiple molds to reuse which again entails a whole other department working with the sculptor to achieve the final sculpture and to satisfy the patron.
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Julia Vieux
2/29/2024 11:56:45 am
I honestly had no idea how many steps went into this entire process. I found it interesting how people so long ago were able to complete this task. There is so much technique needed to complete this successfully and as hard as it is using modern tools, it must have been even harder back then. I think that being able to achieve what they did with what they had is incredible. The entire process is very dangerous, with molten bronze being poured into the mold, they didn’t have the protective gear we have now. The fact they had no thermometers also shows how much they had to trust themselves to know that the bronze is at the correct temperature to pour. Even with the hot wax, they have to be very technical in order to avoid spilling anything anywhere. From these videos, I learned how long the process was. I had no idea that it involved that much and a lot of it falls to chance as well. In the end, the artist could open the mold and they could learn they spent all that time only for it to not mold correctly. I do not think there are many advantages to these methods, however there are many disadvantages. There is a large amount of danger with the high temperatures of materials they work with. One wrong move could not only destroy their artwork, but could seriously injure the artist. Also, the work needed to do after the bronze sets is extensive. The artist has to remove the vents and nails and fill in all of the imperfections that were created throughout the process.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 05:19:29 pm
What's fascinating, too, Julia, is that the process for casting bronze sculptures hasn't changed much since. The process is still the same with perhaps new materials used for the molds (like silicones instead of beeswax). I would have loved being there with the person who first made the discovery and invented this process. It must have been a guarded technology for a long time. The artisans who cast bronze sculptures are believed to have started by casting bronze weapons and tools first. The one major advantage of this technique is that you can recycle bronze casts and create something new from the old tools/sculptures. Bronze's usefulness is endless and its durability changed the world in the 4th millennium. And, yes, you're right, how successful were these artisans to work with this material through intuition and skill and without thermometers? Pretty amazing…
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Jack McDonald
2/29/2024 07:24:40 pm
I found it interesting that this technique was created so long ago and had very successful results. Ancient artisans must have been very innovative, if they applied this technique to larger statues such as the Akkad statue, then the successors to the Sumer civilization advanced their knowledge greatly. Additionally I did not know that a way to release air and other gases from wax or other pliable materials was to attach rods or passageways for the air to escape. and that a way to fill the mold was to attached wax rods around the statue, or that the rods were then used to carry the melted wax out of the mold and leave behind an empty space. I believe that this was used to great results, the Akkad statue head signifies a good example, and in relatively good shape for its age. Bronze casting has both detail and longevity, But the steps are laborious, requires a lot of tools and equipment, bronze could leak from the mold or not all the wax would escape, the best possible outcome could be overshadowed by how many failed attempts it could take to get it right. finding the materials must have been expensive at the time and still is, whenever they do this it must have been for a major project sponsored by a higher family or the empires ruler. But for all the things that could wrong, I admit that the details and replication method is impressive.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 05:27:17 pm
Your insights here, Jack, are very telling, and you paint the picture of power and access to control over others through a resource and a technology that not all possessed or could afford. To be the Akkadians with such a technology as casting weapons in bronze definitely aided their goal to build an empire. They are known to be the first to do so. And like you say, this product of cast bronze materials is a costly and one accessible to the wealthy and powerful.
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Ron Vargas
2/29/2024 08:23:10 pm
I found the entire process very interesting, more specifically the care and dedication through every single long phase of the sculpting, modeling, and casting. Since it is hallow it requires more steps in the process which takes so much time and tools. If this appears difficult and expensive to create in todays age, then 3,000 years ago, it must have been a very prestigious profession. These sculptures did not go through the long and sometimes dangerous process (bronze melted for 1400* C) for the fun of the artist or a hobby, they served a purpose which explains the profound detail and dedication.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 05:41:54 pm
Your point here is well taken, Ron, you definitely do not create a bronze object just for the fun of it alone. And that's one of the keys to understanding ancient art made with this material. The medium alone would hold such suggestions of power and prestige for anyone who commissioned a work made in cast bronze. We're looking at bronze art objects as works of persuasion. And to your point, also, the artist and the foundry worker casting these objects became important cogs in the wheel of elevating rulers and expanding empires. It makes you think of how art is important in the scheme of human evolution.
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Henry O'Connell
2/29/2024 08:57:36 pm
I found the similarities to glass casting very interesting but there were more differences than I had anticipated. When using the lost wax method in glass the mold is prefilled with cullet and frit instead of pouring molten material. The ability to use nails to hold a core is not possible as the glass would crack when cooling if there are nails running through it. In both cases however an enormous amount of time and effort is needed to create even simple forms and you dont know you've succeeded until its all cooled down.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 05:53:36 pm
I think we'll all have to ask to visit your glassmaking studio, Henry, to see you work with these materials firsthand! No doubt you understand the intuitive process of working with materials that respond to fire. It becomes innate with hard work, practice and experience but no less anticipatory as to what the end result will be. I imagine it to be like magic, and full of surprise when you complete a work. Think of the supernatural and godly associations that were made to these alchemical processes in the past; those who held this knowledge were no doubt sought out or even manipulated by the powerful.
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Cristian Triay
3/3/2024 03:55:54 pm
I found this process very interesting and enlightening since I didn't know that this was how it was done. Some of the advantages of this process is the fact that you can take a pliable material like clay, and fire it, or sculpt a bust out of stone to create a mold. All you need is a surface hard enough to hold the mold on top of it and then you can recreate it with molten metal. However, the disadvantage of this is the fact that it is made with copper, which can be oxidized and completely change the look of the object. Additionally, you need to have an understanding of metalwork and welding in order to melt down to molten metal and use it in the caste. I think it's a very interesting process but it has it's difficulties which makes pieces that use it that much more impressive.
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Valerie
3/3/2024 06:00:08 pm
I'm so glad these videos brought clarity and enlightenment to the process of casting in bronze, Cristian. And I like how you outline the multiple expertises needed even to get to a final bronze cast-you need someone who knows how to work with clay, another who could carve in either stone, wood, or wax, and yes, you need the individuals who will help the artist bring to fruition what they have visualized. The process here involves many hands, workshops of people all working for one end work of art. The labor is not individual and it helps to further clarify why, too, the names of artists are not known to us from the past. These works were not about the individual artist, it was about the collective whole who would benefit from the art.
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Liam Staunton
3/3/2024 11:05:44 pm
The process of sculpting with bronze is a complex, time consuming chore. To work with this material requires years of familiarizing yourself, and the individuals who specialized in this artistry surely experienced a great deal of trial and error. One key takeaway I had from these videos was the level of intuition required to understand when the molten bronze was at the right temperature during the melting process. Instead of measuring the heat of the bronze, artists at the time would analyze the color, scent, and texture to determine if it was ready or not. I imagine most mistakes made throughout the construction occurred during this procedure.
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Valerie
3/17/2024 04:49:42 pm
Your own intuition here, Liam, understands the value of persuasion and propaganda inherent in the use of precious materials like bronze, a metal that, as you say is strong, permanent, non-perishable, pliable and capable in warfare, too.
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Matthew Wayne Swaby
3/3/2024 11:17:24 pm
The thing I found most interesting from the reading/video was the overall uncertainty around the quality of the finished sculpture right up until the cooling of the bronze. Due to the process in which molds are created, it is impossible if the vents were properly sized, just how stable the nails would be at holding the internal core material. These realities of the casting process made each piece truly unique. I also found it interesting that after the bronze had cooled it wasn’t the brownish brass color I have mentally associated with bronze, Instead it was a cold white color very similar to tin. The finishing process is what gave it the final finish.
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Valerie
3/17/2024 04:58:57 pm
The core material, as you mention, Matthew, is an essential component to the work and one often overlooked. The core served as the skeleton and support for the casting which also helped the sculpture to be lighter in weight and less expensive by not creating a solid cast bronze. Adding a specific patina to the exterior is yet another layer of dimension for its appearance and symbolic representation; together you point out the essence of these objects that are both evident and unseen.
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Tracy Rousseau
3/3/2024 11:36:05 pm
I found learning about this technique to create sculptures was completely different from the idea that I had in my mind on the process of creating one. The lost wax technique is really interesting and it that it takes a certain level of skill and craftsmanship to really execute it will. I also find it wonderful that the sculptures are hollow which takes the labor intensive part of curating a piece of artwork more easy to transport.
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Valerie
3/17/2024 05:02:04 pm
Agreed, Tracy, the process of casting with the lost wax method is meant to lighten the weight of these objects but still they were heavy; I imagine how many artisans and assistants were needed to transport these works, especially life-sized figures, to their finally viewing place.
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Norah Gover
3/3/2024 11:58:22 pm
It is genuinely fascinating how complex make a hollow bronze sculpture was. I multiple processes and stage the were undertaken by artists In order to make one of these statue already sound painstaking, I can hardly imagine the amount of trail and error it took to create the processes in the first place. It truly, is a glorious example of artistic ingenuity , and shows how intelligent ancient civilizations could be.
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Valerie
3/17/2024 05:06:17 pm
Yes, agreed, Norah, this lost wax casting process speaks of the interest in perfecting the medium of casting metal, an interest in experimentation, and of innovation. The casting process has not changed since ancient times and so its longevity and usefulness really speaks of the refined intellect of our ancestors and of which we’ve had the fortune to inherent, as did many cultures thereafter.
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3/4/2024 12:24:29 pm
Looking at both videos, it shows how long the process took for ancient artisans to make a good casting. Both indirect and direct bronze casting require the mold to be stable and well put together as it enters the kiln and the furnace. The only difference between the two methods is that the indirect requires a model to be created before starting the process while the direct method builds from a prepared art piece. The whole production reminds me how they make wax figures of famous people because I remember watching a video of how they make them, and it was just created a similar way; just with a little bit more details.
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Valerie
3/17/2024 05:11:19 pm
It makes me wonder how those wax sculptures maintain their fine details over time but you’re right, Dalia, about the capacity for detail when modeling in wax and how much of that detail is picked up on the metal casting. This lost wax cast method is multimedia, utilizing two sculpture techniques, modeling and casting, and so you have the skill level of multiple artists/artisans required for the final artwork.
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