Sylvie Fages

For the amateur it is difficult to understand why a bronze is precious, what is its manufacturing process and how to be enlightened on the market, The idea of ​​what was born in front of the repetition of questions by my customers or my friends.

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So,

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A bronze sculpture is obtained from an original model in clay, wax or plaster, melted in bronze from a mold.

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 Depending on the metal used, we can distinguish:

 

The original bronze

(80% copper alloy, and zinc, lead or aluminum)  which is a work of art

The "original" or "authentic" bronze is drawn or in a single proof marked PU (single piece) or 8 copies numbered from 1 to 8 to which is allowed 4 additional copies in artist proofs, numbered from I to IV is a total of 12 prints maximum beyond which it is customary to destroy the mold.

In the case of overprinting, additional copies may not be sold and must be marked reproduction or HC off-market.

 

The art bronze

(Copper and tin alloy) is the production or mass reproduction of bronze works.
Art bronzes are non-numbered copies to which a different tax regime applies.

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Main stages of the original finished bronze work:

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From a wax (lost wax) direct melting of the original wax of the artist, the bronze obtained can then be molded for reproduction; The resulting piece will then be slightly smaller

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From a direct molding of the original plaster wax or clay, (this technique makes it possible to obtain reproductions at the ready of the work).

The earth, plaster, or wax are molded .

A new wax, called retouching medium hardness is obtained from the mold provided, the artist checks and retouches the wax, sign it.

Draw of a bronze from retouched wax.

Next steps common to the two methods at the output of the font:

•  Removing cast iron (s)

•  Bronze scissors and polishing, uncoated, matt golden yellow

•  Soclage of the work,

•  Engraving of the number: ex 1/8

• Patina, if necessary, by application of different products, stamped with a brush on the piece heated by the torch, to obtain a particular coloring on the sculpture and give it its final shade. Once the desired coloration is reached, stop and fixation of the oxidation with wax, after cooling.

It takes about 12 weeks to move from the finished original subject to the finished bronze, as well as the intervention of many know-how.

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The prices !   

The sale price of an original bronze is generally established on the basis of the reproduction price fixed by the founder, to which a coefficient determined by the profession of sculptors applies. Except for single pieces, which bear the mention PU, whose much higher value is set by the artist. 

Many criteria come into play, the size, the complexity of the room, the patina, the addition of additional elements: base frame plate stem etc ...

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 To buy a work of art is also to buy hundreds of hours of work from the first gesture of the sculptor to the reproduction of his finished work.