In modern times creating a work in bronze continues that tradition but other materials in metal offer, and at times exceed, the beauty of earlier precedents. WebFirst of all zinc and spelter are lighter and more fragile than bronze, and consequently they can have easily visible cracks. or having it cleaned by an expert. That is, the fewer the additions or deletions over the years, the better. Bronze is often confused with cheaper alternatives used in the production of figurines such as spelter -- an allow of zinc and lead -- and resin, a form of plastic. Is it from the time period the seller says it's from? If the scratch reveals a copper / gold / yellow color it is bronze. I have a similar one with three figures instead of two. Many customers believe their sculpture is Bronze and are disappointed when they find out their sculpture is made of Spelter or Resin. Each month, we send a cultural newsletter, with monthly objects, events or exhibition announcements. For furniture, mint implies no repairs or missing pieces and an original finish.\r\n\r\n
\r\n \t- Excellent condition means that the piece has minor flaws. The sculptures value is determined by the artist, who made the piece, was it cast posthumously and who owned it. Microcrystalline wax helps to prevent further deterioration: apply one or two coats (leaving an hour between each) and buff gently with a soft cloth. Examine the item for patches where the patina, paint or gilding has worn through, revealing the base metal. My new otter in cold-cast bronze ; the finished item. It's stronger and tougher than resin, which makes it easier to pass off as bronze. Some examples of rarities in terms of size or shape include silver spoons or other utensils with a specialized purpose, such as silver stuffing spoons used for stuffing a turkey or goose or marrow spoons used for coaxing the marrow out of bones. It is polite to stare when it comes to shopping for value in antiques. Some functional and breakable antiques were manufactured in relatively large numbers but are now more scarce, such as crystal stemware, porcelain dishes, and tea sets. Limestone, sandstone and coade stone form a weathered surface crust which if removed will expose a vulnerable crumbly surface beneath. Do not use metal cleaners or abrasives that will take the patina off. Spelter is also brittle and thinly cast, therefore ornaments made from spelter are fragile and can be easily damaged without care. When you can look at a piece without wishing this or that were different about it, when all the elements of it blend together in perfect harmony, and when it has an overall pleasing appearance, then that item really has it in the aesthetics department.\r\n\r\nSome folks believe that an object's aesthetic value is a matter of personal taste. And what is today's value ? 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Bronzes are extremely heavy. Art Deco figurines of women, often dancing, were made of bronze or spelter (white metal) for the main part, ivory for the hands and faces. If you're looking at an old bronze, you should see a patina; a film that forms on the surface from reaction to the air. There are beautiful examples of craftsmanship from this era. It is an important decision because restoration of metal sculptures using welding or brazing, that generate intensive heat, damages relatively large areas of the original patina requiring repainting / antiquing covering a much greater surface than the break area. WebWhat are spelter figures? HOW TO IDENTIFY A QUALITY BRONZE SCULPTURE www. Was th By entering this site you declare Grey indicates spelter and red or brown points to resin. WebFig. Sapphire-colored cream pitchers from this era are rare. Iron is another cheap alternative to using bronze in casting a figure. But even items that aren't as fragile as glass or ceramics, such as wood tables and cabinets, are at risk of being damaged, and perhaps damaged so badly they are discarded over time.
\r\n \t- A rare or unusual color or design for a particular type of antique. Most people wouldnt know the difference. He guessed that Rasmussens piece probably began life as a lamp and had lost a few pieces through the past century. Bronze is very heavy and when tapped with something hard it makes a ringing sound. Specialists in antique fireplaces & architectural antiques since 1969. For example, only royalty or the rich could afford gold boxes for snuff, so only a few were made.
\r\n \t- Few of the original pieces remain. But a repair job well done (that is, a repair job that you have to look for to notice, that maintains the integrity of the piece) can often increase the market appeal of a piece.","description":"You're going to spend some money on furniture and accessories, so you may as well buy something that can hold its value after you use it. Bronze is unlikely to show damage and is less corrosive than spelter, however its also susceptible to bronze disease. Early twentieth-century Art Nouveau and Art Deco figures and lamps were often made of spelter. I HAVE A M. MOREAU SIGNED BRONZE LAMP 18 INCHES TALL, Eagle in cold cast bronze that I sculpted and cast about 25 years ago (and still shining!). ( 14 Pictures). He specializes in various types of Continental, American, and Oriental porcelain, glass, furniture, and accessories. However if only the items base is heavy, it could be a spelter sculpture attached to a different base, giving it extra weight. The piece might be too large, too loud, or too ugly. HI MOONMOM. One reason is that you don't know the composition of the spelter - it can be anything - one reason is that because you don't know the composition you don't know which solder to use and a third reason is that the melting point of the and Lang, J. If it flakes or scratches off easily, it's probably a painted on patina-substitute. If it flakes or scratches off easily, it's probably a painted on patina-substitute. With high value sculpture, one might consider museum-quality repairs (reversible repair) as compared to welding. This exact science of production has pushed spelter to be as collectable as bronze because of the higher quality of finish. For example, you can use old wood and create a new piece of furniture. Images and text all rights reserved. Still, if you like it, well, this aspect of rarity can work to your advantage.\r\n\r\nHow do you know if it's rare? Spelter, used in the 19th century to imitate bronze. Water dripping off a tree will stain a statue placed beneath and mould, algae and lichen form more readily on objects exposed to northerly weather. Was this a copy of a larger Moreau sculpted? After cast is removed, patina is applied the metallic looking surface. Wide choice of architectural elements. What is the difference between a spelter Art Deco sculpture and a bronze Art Deco sculpture? In fact, spelter is referred to as \"the poor man's bronze,\" because it was created for those who admired bronze and couldn't afford it.
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Really great condition
\r\nIn an ideal world, the antique you are contemplating buying would be in exactly the same condition as it was the day it was born. Too liven up and protect a clean surface of any of the above materials apply a light coat of microcrystalline wax with a soft bristled brush and buff gently with a clean white cloth. Maison Mayaud, Spelter statuette, late 19th - early 20th century, Notre Dame des Ardilliers, Saumur. For furniture, mint implies no repairs or missing pieces and an original finish.\r\n\r\n
\r\n \t- Excellent condition means that the piece has minor flaws. Spelter is a lower value metal also known as white metal or pot metal. Also, knowing the flaws of a piece can be a negotiating tool.\r\nHere's a quick guideline for the types of flaws you can look out for when examining antiques:\r\n
\r\n \t- Scratches
\r\n \t- Breaks and tears
\r\n \t- Dings and gouges
\r\n \t- Chips
\r\n \t- Cracks
\r\n \t- Fractures
\r\n \t- Signs of repair, such as glue, runny paint, mismatched screws or nails, or putty
\r\n \t- Missing parts
\r\n \t- Discoloration
\r\n \t- On figurines, broken noses or missing fingers
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\r\nThe real question is how much does the damage bother you? The porcelain is restorable, in the hands of an expert restorer, and the glass typically is not, with the exception of minor rim chips.\r\n
It is polite to stare when it comes to shopping for value in antiques. What might be a minor chip or crack in a piece of porcelain can significantly devalue a piece of glass. Resin: Sometimes we receive Bronze looking sculpture which was made out of Resin which is epoxy resin and bronze powder blended before casting. Some examples of rarities in terms of size or shape include silver spoons or other utensils with a specialized purpose, such as silver stuffing spoons used for stuffing a turkey or goose or marrow spoons used for coaxing the marrow out of bones. The preferred method of high value sculpture repair is using metal pins and adhesives. As you can see, she was also painted with much better attention to detail and more muted colors. By contrast, spelter and resin are both comparatively light, but they are sometimes attached to heavy wood or stone bases to give them extra weight. If no one in your zip code has one, it might be worth even more. Art Deco figurines of women, often dancing, were made of bronze or spelter (white metal) for the main part, ivory for the hands and faces. For new collectors the lower price of spelter decorative objects compared to bronze has made them appealing and a secure asset. Bronze is solid but if the base of the piece has been scratched with a tougher metal, then it should have a gold or yellow colour. Here's where your specialization comes in: You need to know the types of pieces Tiffany made the texture of the glass, the colors, and the styles and make sure that all the elements make sense before you can believe the signature.
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\r\n \t- The type of material: Is that bronze statue the real thing? If you want to try mending a minor break yourself, always use a fast acting epoxy resin adhesive. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The real question is how much does the damage bother you? The careful positioning of outdoor sculpture in a sheltered position is the first step to practical conservation. Test Two: Lift the item in your hand. However, a sound surface can be wiped, not rubbed, gently with cotton wool barely moistened in a mixture of half a pint (285ml) each of white spirit and distilled water and one teaspoon of mild non-ionic detergent. Bronze is unlikely to show damage and is less corrosive than spelter, however its also susceptible to bronze disease . An inexpensive alloy that is easily cast and worked, spelter was used from the 1860s in the manufacture of candlesticks, clock cases, tableware, and light fixtures. Unpainted spelter can be waxed as per bronze above. Algae and lichen do little harm, and in most cases add to a statues value, but can be removed if the surface is sound by brushing with a solution of one teaspoon of dichlorophen, (available from most good garden shops), to one pint (570ml) of water. How to Make Metal Look Like Antique Brass, How To Paint Wrought Iron To Look Antique. It was known as tutanego. An authentic bronze will hold a great deal of fine detail, while at the same time having a smooth, regular finish. Plus, antiques add a sense of warmth, history, and character to your house.\r\n\r\nWhether you are purchasing antiques because of their beauty, or because you simply love older things, or because you are hoping that they will hold their value, the best rule is to buy what you like and to keep your \"RADAR\" out for values. You can also get the effect by applying darker metal wax to a lighter base coat. The challenge when it comes to how to tell bronze from spelter, is that spelter naturally ages over time to closely resemble bronze. An old piece of bronze will have a patina. Ceramic & Sculpture Repair Lessons Always make sure you test an inconspicuous area first to ensure the patina is stable as an artificially induced or painted patina may not be stable. M A Moreau lady / child bronze sculpture real or fake. Whether you are purchasing antiques because of their beauty, or because you simply love older things, or because you are hoping that they will hold their value, the best rule is to buy what you like and to keep your "RADAR" out for values. But spelter does not wear as well, is lighter weight, cannot be cast in as fine a detail, and is far less valuable. I'll see if I can located the tutorial. If you strike a hollow place on the sculpture with a wooden dowel, resin gives a dull thud instead of a ring. A coppery color would indicate brass. Aging patina is desirable; do not rub off the patina or aged brass to regain the shine, it will reduce the items value substantially. - Contact. Have a great holidays season and happy new year! Copper is very susceptible to acidic environments. You want to understand the damage and changes the piece has undergone so that you can understand if the price pleases you. 5 years ago. RADAR is an acronym that stands for Rarity, Aesthetics, Desirability, Authenticity, and Really great condition.\r\n\r\nWhen you find an antique that meets these five criteria, you've probably found an item that's likely to appreciate in value as the years go by.\r\n
Rarity
\r\nWhat constitutes a rarity? If no one else on your block owns one, you know that it's worth something. Plus, antiques add a sense of warmth, history, and character to your house.\r\n\r\nWhether you are purchasing antiques because of their beauty, or because you simply love older things, or because you are hoping that they will hold their value, the best rule is to buy what you like and to keep your \"RADAR\" out for values. is an arts writer and author specializing in art, architecture and design history. 2 See if the metal is reddish-brown, which could mean it's bronze. Attempts to remove stains from any porous stone may force the stain deeper or erode the surface. Is it made by the artist or company that is indicated? A mixture of tin and copper, bronze has been used for thousands of years to create both full-sized statues and smaller figurines through the process of casting -- i.e., pouring the molten alloy into a mould. Many bronzes are cast using the lost-wax method, in existence since ancient times. have a golden color. The name can also refer to a copperzinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc. Spelter is soft and breaks easily. If you put a foot-tall bronze sculpture on a scale, it will weigh six to ten pounds. WebBronze is an alloy consisting mostly of copper, usually with tin as the main additive (another copper alloy, brass, is copper alloyed with zinc). Search Results He has been published in The Observer and Cosmopolitan. Rix holds a Master of Arts degree in English from Magdalen College, Oxford. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? Mar 23, 2006. If the surface is smooth and hard you can lightly hose it with water, easing loosened dirt with a soft bristled brush. These antiques \"shaped up\" in unusual ways. Painted or gilded figures should not be allowed to get wet but should only be dusted lightly with a soft haired artists brush. Our goal is to make science relevant and fun for everyone. The porcelain is restorable, in the hands of an expert restorer, and the glass typically is not, with the exception of minor rim chips.\r\nIt is polite to stare when it comes to shopping for value in antiques. Also, watch for patches of corrosion, because bronze doesn't rust. Some fakes use spelter zinc with a bronze finish but it isn't as richly detailed or as shiny as real bronze. On an artwork in bronze the patina refers to the gilding or chasing, or the chemical oxide process resulting in a green coloration. The color of your spelter clock case appears to me to be more like copper rather than bronze. Check details such as facial features, fingers and so forth. Always cover all antique sculpture and statues before spraying garden chemicals anywhere near them. I found a Louis Moreau bronze lamp at an antique store. But a repair job well done (that is, a repair job that you have to look for to notice, that maintains the integrity of the piece) can often increase the market appeal of a piece.
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Desirability
\r\nDesirability is defined by what's in vogue in the current market. Relative to bronze, spelter is much softer. If it scratch easily and feels like plastic, it is resin. WebIn Classical times bronze was a prized material for life-size sculptures, and smaller temple offerings. Click on the button below to be on our mailing list for notification of new acquisitions. Its difficult to spot the differences between the two just by looking at them. A few decades after Tiffany created his now-famous lamps, some people thought of them as gaudy, and so prices were steals by today's standards. RADAR is an acronym that stands for Rarity, Aesthetics, Desirability, Authenticity, and Really great condition. Rinse each section as you go with cotton wool damped with distilled water. As technology and the ability to reproduce items become more advanced, identifying the authentic antique becomes more difficult.\r\nHere are some clues and tips to help you analyze whether an antique is authentic:\r\n\r\n \t- Time period: A piece of furniture can look old and still be born yesterday. Research as much information on the sculpture and the artist before considering repairing your sculpture. You can wax a small area immediately but anything more serious should be taken to a conservation specialist or professional restorer for specialist treatment. Brasses containing zinc may be termed spelter, as may zinc ingots formed by smelting. We organize the delivery worldwide. Based in the United Kingdom, Graham Rix has been writing on the arts, antiquing and other enthusiasms since 1987. WebMost sculptures are made from spelter or bronze. Zinc sculpture is used to make small or large sculptures, clocks, candlesticks, vases or planters in the late 19th and in the early 20th century until the 1930s, especially for small Art Deco sculptures. Her articles and essays have appeared in Redbook, Family Circle, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Family Life, and Ms.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10799"}},{"authorId":10800,"name":"Ron Zoglin","slug":"ron-zoglin","description":" Ron Zoglin has been in the antique business for more than 25 years and owns Brookside Antiques in Kansas City, MO. The speltering process [ edit ] Brass was made using a cementation process but this was replaced by speltering , the direct alloying of copper and zinc metal which was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. director would like to thank Art Bronze Is this spelter/bronze or what ? Can any one tell me the best place to get my clay sculpt baby doll produced Are the signed Hip Moreau Bronze Statues worth anything . A patina can not be easily scratched off as is almost always the case in bronze replicas. A dull patina can be revived by a very light coating of microcrystalline wax. Bronze is created from over 90% copper. Bronze is extremely hard and therefore unlikely to display any damage at all other than to the surface patina. Brass has a lighter finish with a bright sheen, comparable to the look of gold. After all, antique items made of spelter are a sign of the times when the material was widely used. However, with increasing interest and desire to purchase original Art Deco pieces, collectors are looking to period objects made from a variety of materials. Video for youtube video. there are water based paint strippers on the shelves of d.i.y stores or chemical based. Spelter has become highly desirable allowing collectors to purchase an original high-quality piece at a reasonable price. Copper has a brown, somewhat rustic finish. Spelter, on the other hand, is weak and brittle. Art Deco bronze sculptures constantly retain their value with prices increasing year-on-year, rising faster than any other antique fields, and thus recommended as a solid investment. Look carefully at each item you're considering buying, inside and out, upside down, and right side up. She is beautiful. Japy et Cie, clock, ca. Place Louis Durand
Look for any damage -- chips, cracks, lost fingers, limbs bent out of shape and so forth. Even in the 19th century, molds often outlasted the death of the artist, so bronze foundries could keep making figures that looked like the original. In Classical times bronze was a prized material for life-size sculptures, and smaller temple offerings. One nineteenth century writer observed that it was so supple he could wrap a shaving of it around his finger. Some stone dissolves or is irreparably worn away by misguided attempts at cleaning. Like bronze, spelter is an alloy, which is a metal combined with other elements. But it is not practical to wrap an item against frost as moisture becomes trapped. The first question sculpture owners often ask is: "Should I bother to fix this?" It can be distinguished from bronze by scratching its patina: untarnished spelter is white, while bronze is yellow. The piece might be too large, too loud, or too ugly. It contains zinc and lead, it is lighter than Bronze, it is softer, brittle and corrodes easier than Bronze. This industry-related article is a stub. Please do not hesitate to let us know your comments. Scratching the patina also shows the surface of the metal underneath. Maybe there's a veneer chip on a table top that has been expertly repaired; or perhaps there's a pinhead flake on the base of a porcelain vase.
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\r\n\r\n \t- Good condition means the piece has suffered a few slings and arrows and come through them. Demand for cheap spelter grew in the 19th century. You can hire 100 people to trample a new Oriental rug to give it a worn in look.
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\r\n\r\n \t- Artist or company: An object with a Tiffany signature is worth more than an object without one. Welding is not a reversible repair which museums prefer not to see. When you find an antique that meets these five criteria, you've probably found an item that's likely to appreciate in value as the years go by. Bronze is extremely hard and therefore unlikely to display any damage other than to the surface patina; it was first used as swords in the Bronze Age. Craddock, P.T. In extreme cold stonework can split or shatter as moisture absorbed by the stone expands and contracts with freezing. reply #5. For example, only royalty or the rich could afford gold boxes for snuff, so only a few were made.
\r\n \t- Few of the original pieces remain. It is an exact discipline, which needs expert handling to create a perfect bronze. director would like to He specializes in various types of Continental, American, and Oriental porcelain, glass, furniture, and accessories. Spelter sculptures are fairly light and have a Web19K views 5 years ago Watch Dr. Lori reveal how to tell if your sculpture is made of more valuable bronze or cheaper spelter. By entering your email address and clicking the Submit button, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Dummies.com, which may include marketing promotions, news and updates. Other elements are also sometimes used in bronze alloys be it phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon hence the many different bronzes that exist. The patina on spelter, when applied by an expert craftsman, can be of exceptionally high standard, however bronze is recognised for its adaptability to gilding, and chasing, and cold-painting. Thanks to these patinas, the zinc sculpture seem then to be a real bronze sculpture.