Bronze: From Ancient Craft to Corporate Gifts
For approximately 5,000 years, bronze, an alloy composed of copper and tin, has played a crucial role in the creation of sculptures and monuments. The technique known as lost-wax casting originated with the Indus civilization around 3000 BCE, as demonstrated by the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro. This method was later refined in ancient Greece, leading to iconic works such as the Riace bronzes (c. 460–450 BCE). Traditional bronze consists of roughly 88% copper and 12% tin. In the late 1800s, it emerged as a collectible among the bourgeois, and in 1981, French legislation restricted editions to twelve. Today, it is also popular for corporate gifts, with contemporary artists like Thomas Schütte, Ai Weiwei, and Kiki Smith employing bronze. Ai Weiwei's 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads' (2010) reflects on colonial history. The return of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria commenced in 2022.
Key facts
- Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, used for about 5,000 years.
- Lost-wax casting (cire perdue) dates to the Indus culture around 3000 BCE.
- The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is an early example.
- Riace bronzes, dated c. 460–450 BCE, were found off Calabria in 1972.
- Traditional bronze is 88% copper and 12% tin, with lead or zinc.
- French law (1981) limits bronze editions to 12 examples.
- Rodin's atelier used numbered casts.
- Kunstgiesserei Strassacker and Bildgiesserei Noack document casts with alloy analysis.
- European standard EN 1982 regulates copper casting alloys.
- Ai Weiwei's 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads' (2010) uses bronze to reflect colonial history.
- Repatriation of Benin Bronzes from German museums to Nigeria began in 2022.
- Bronze is used for corporate gifts, such as anniversary trophies.
Entities
Artists
- Rodin
- Thomas Schütte
- Ai Weiwei
- Kiki Smith
Institutions
- Kunstgiesserei Strassacker
- Bildgiesserei Noack
Locations
- Mohenjo-daro
- Riace
- Calabria
- Süßen
- Berlin
- Nigeria