The making of statuettes does not date from our century or even less from the last century. Its beginnings date back to the Paleolithic era, around -20,000 BC.

Ancient Bronze

At the time of the early days of sculpture, it was fashioned in bone or sedimentary rocks such as flint. The latter also affirm a rare quality of sculpture. The oldest catalogued sculpture is the "Came of Hohle Fels", it is 40,000 years old and is made of ivory.

Indeed, the old models record mostly representations of women or animals. Over time, new materials and sculpting techniques appeared. First the pottery and the modeling of clay towards the Neolithic, then the metal and its various processes much later. The use of bronze occurred towards the end of the Neolithic period, when the Bronze Age began.

Making and material of a statue

After the discovery of the possibility of making by pottery and clay sculpture, various other materials were found to be usable (plaster, porcelain, lime, metal and wood, including marble). The sculpture then invokes several design techniques: moulding, modeling, cast technique and pruning technique.

Basically, it was only with copper that the ancient artists proceeded. Gradually, they put in place alloys from which the bronze results. The latter is an alloy of copper and tin. However, bronze contains other minerals such as zinc and manganese, which justify the wear and tear of the metal.

Among the techniques, that of carrying out bronzes with lost wax (cast iron technique) is the most worn bronze sculptor. The process of lost wax has evolved since the time of its discovery, but the principle remains the same. We always start with modeling. The latter is a technique that requires the use of handy material (wax, clay or plaster in most cases). The sculptor makes a model of his status by wax. It has a few flow rods called jets. Once this wax modeling is complete, it covers the piece with a refractory material (clay or plaster) and then puts it all on the fire. The wax must flow from it, it puts up a hollow mold where liquid bronze is poured. It lets it cool and unmouls it. The result is a work of bronze art completed in close detail. Of course, it is necessary to make some adjustments and finishes (skating, polishing, etc.). The patina restores colors to the bronze which, once the work is completed, is seen in yellow.

Art has never lost its value since antiquity, both in the eyes of its creator and in the eyes of its lusters. The estimate of a statuette is based mainly on its age. A sophisticated object, which dates back to the last century, is often less valued than a simple 19th century bust. A quality piece is identified by the sculptor's technique. But the network of sculpture sales is difficult. Between the presence of forgeries in the market and the prices of works, sellers and buyers must take into account the potential risks. Roger Godchaux's seated lion cub won the record sales in France, the sculpture was sold for 29,140 euros.

Crisis hits museums

In recent months, the world has been experiencing great economic difficulties because of the pandemic. The art community is one of the main ones affected by this crisis. The Rodin Museum in Paris is not spared.

The Rodin Museum is an institution dedicated to the works of Auguste Rodin. Auguste Rodin happens to be a talented 19th century artist. Not only did he sculpt, but he also drew and photographed. Rodin was also a collector. Indeed, in his collection appear works by Von Gogh, Renoir or LeMoyne. These collections come from all over the world (Greece, Egypt, America, China...). The museum strives to give space to these collections in its exhibitions. Camille Claudel owns a room exclusively of her own at the Biron Hotel (one of the buildings of the museum, the other is the Villa des Brillants). Of course, Claudel was a muse of Rodin, she represented a great deal for him both artistically and privately.

The museum houses more than 25,000 works of art, it is one of the most important museums in France. The institute registers 700,000 visitors a year, most of whom are foreigners. This figure makes the museum the 8th most lively museum in France. Of course, the entity has enjoyed many successes and participates in several world exhibitions.

However, the museum had to close its doors due to the pandemic. The director of the museum, Catherine Chevillot, estimated a loss of 4.4 million euros during the closure. Despite the recent reopening, the institution is still defying difficulties due to the drop in visits. They intend to make up for this loss by selling some bronze sculptures.

Where to buy a reproduction of an ancient bronze sculpture?

HTdeco is a site selling interior décor objects. With more than 15 years of existence, we offer you the best selections of furnishings and statues. Our products are original, refined and made by experts in each field. Specially, we recommend our bronze statues made of lost wax. Artists work so that sculptures take you back to another era, for example in the 19th century.

Our sculptures are designed in China by real artists. Indeed, the technique remains the same as the traditional one. Our artists make the wax modeling and then cover it with refractory material (cement) by making sure the jets and vents are installed. The position of these is important, because they allow the diffusion of bronze in the details of the mold. They then practice the removal and finishing. The finishes mark the precision and refining of the object. Our company is very inspired by antiques, that's why we want to perfect our products.

Through the ancient sculptures, we find various representations of all categories (man, woman, animals, warrior). Cartoons of deities are the most common. Statues of Greek or Roman gods, statues of (great inspiration of 19th century sculptors) were then identified. There are, for example, the Of Artemision (Greek God of Cape, 460 BC), the statuettes of Hera and Aphrodite (Greek and Roman goddess), the Lion with the Snake by Antoine Louis Barye.

The shop offers a large selection of antique reproduction, delivered in a maximum of 2 days.