THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE

The history of sculpture is ancient. Carvings in stone or wood and works in clay exist in all cultures. Some stone carvings go back as many as 24, 000 years! THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE

In the Gothic period of European art sculptors began to apply the same ideas for realistic form that Giotto used in his fresco paintings. THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE

GOTHIC PERIOD - SCULPTURE

GHIBERTI - BAPTISTRY DOORS

Ghiberti – Baptistry Doors

LORENZO GHIBERTI (1381 – 1455) “Jacob and Esau”. Gilded Bronze panel. Ghiberti. C Baptistry doors. Florence, Italy.

YOUR NOTES ON GHIBERTI When Ghiberti was 21 years old he won the commission to design and sculpt the doors to the church in Florence. The two doors which consisted of twenty eight bas-relief panels illustrating stories from the New Testament took him over twenty years to complete.

BACKGROUND READING “lost wax” casting

Lost-wax casting is the process for making a metal copy of an artist's sculpture. “lost wax” casting

An artist creates an original model from wax or clay.

A mold is then made over the original sculpture. “Lost wax” casting

Most molds have at least two pieces, and a shim is placed between the two halves so that the mold can be put back together accurately. “Lost wax” casting

Once the mold is finished, molten wax is poured into it and swished around until an even coating covers the inner surface of the mold. This hollow wax copy of the original model is removed from the mold. “Lost Wax” casting

The wax copy is "sprued" with a treelike structure of wax to provide paths for the metal casting material to escape. “lost wax” casting

The sprued wax copy is dipped into silica and a sand-like material. This shell is allowed to dry, and the process is repeated until at least a half-inch coating covers the entire piece. The ceramic shell-coated piece is placed in a kiln to harden the silica coating into a shell, and the wax melts and runs out. Now all that remains of the original artwork is the negative space, formerly occupied by the wax

“lost wax” casting The ceramic shell is allowed to cool, then tested to see if water will flow through the feeder and vent tubes. Cracks or leaks can be patched. The shell is reheated in the kiln to harden the patches and remove all traces of moisture.

Metal is melted in a crucible in a furnace, then poured carefully into the shell. “lost wax” casting

The shell is hammered or sand- blasted away, releasing the rough casting. The sprues, are cut off, to be reused and casting is worked until the signs of the casting process are removed, and it looks like the original model.