In our online shop, we offer something unique to friends of ancient art: replicas of over fifty of the most beautiful sculptures from classical antiquity. Life-sized and cast in bronze based on plaster casts of museum originals, our bronze statues and busts boast museum quality and are esteemed by interior designers, garden designers, and art experts worldwide. Film studios utilize them as authentic decor, and the originals are displayed in museums around the globe.
Locations for the Placement of Ancient Statues in Gardens and Parks
In exceptionally designed gardens and parks, alongside high horticultural artistry and exceptionally beautiful design, the use of top-notch furnishings often shines. Whether it’s furniture or statues and sculptures. Now original antique statues are not or very rarely available for sale. Since their rediscovery in the Renaissance, costly replicas have such been made for country homes, their parks, and concurrently for the mansions of the bourgeoisie. During this time, a canon for the placement and positioning of these artworks formed and developed into modern times.
Historical Significance of the Offered Replica Sculptures
The statues of ancient Greece, primarily bronze statues, continue to be culturally significant for our Western civilization. After Rome rose to world power, a large number of these Greek artworks made their way to Rome, some plundered, some acquired, and were copied and reinterpreted in Rome. A multitude of precise copies of the most beautiful works of ancient Greece were created for the Roman art market. In almost all cases, the lost Greek bronze originals are only known to us through their Roman marble copies. Of the over fifty replicas of ancient statues offered in our online shop, only nine statues are based on surviving original ancient Greek bronze statues. All other replicas offered are based on Roman marble statues that were created based on a Greek original bronze.
Plaster Casts for Casting Statues and Busts
The basis for a perfect replica of the original is a plaster cast of the original. These plaster casts often date back two centuries. Many of them were taken from the originals found in Rome, mostly from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century. They were then exhibited for study purposes, mostly at a university, in so-called plaster cast collections. They often also came into private ownership, especially when the purchase of the original was too expensive or the original was not for sale.
Bronze Casting in the Lost Wax Process
The lost wax process is a method used to cast complex metal shapes. It is thousands of years old and is also used for the bronze casting replicas offered here.
The plaster cast serves as the basis for the required casting mold. Based on the data from the plaster cast, we create a plastic model. The plastic model is meticulously compared with the plaster cast and photos of the original and, if necessary, adjusted. When everything is perfect, the negative casting mold is taken from this plastic model. Then, liquid bronze is poured into this negative mold to create a positive bronze sculpture. Each of these steps is meticulously monitored to ensure that the cast replica matches the plaster cast and the original in the museum 1:1.
For bronze casting, we use bronze composed of at least 90% to 95% copper (CU) and 5% to 10% tin (SN). The exact composition varies within this range depending on the size and complexity of the statue. The amount of tin added influences the castability, corrosion resistance, and tensile strength of bronze castings. This alloy closely matches most of the ancient bronze alloys passed down through the ages and has proven itself over millennia. Bronze artifacts found in Pompeii and analyzed by the Goethe University Frankfurt in 1998 almost consistently had a composition of 90% CU with 10% SN. They also had lead additives in many cases, ranging from 0.01 to 0.02%.
Marble Casting and Sculpture Carving by the Sculptor
In addition to traditional bronze casting, we offer two other methods for replicating the statues and busts shown here: marble casting from powdered genuine marble and sculptors carving the statue from a single marble block. If this form of work is suitable for your replica statue, please feel free to contact us. We welcome your email or call.
Website
https://www.classic-garden-elements.co.uk/product-category/life-sized-statues-from-classical-antiquity/
Contact
Our expert on replica statues from classical antiquity is
Mr Johannes Dietrich of Hofheim, Germany
info@classic-garden-elements.com
+49 171 172 1120
