Bronze bust of a ram. Hellenistic, 3rd Century BC. Superbly cast, beautiful patina. Contours of eyes rendered in copper. Bronze was exceptionally precious in antiquity and was used regularly for...
Bronze bust of a ram. Hellenistic, 3rd Century BC. Superbly cast, beautiful patina. Contours of eyes rendered in copper.
Bronze was exceptionally precious in antiquity and was used regularly for sculptures from the Archaic period onward. The main technique to realise bronze sculpture was called 'lost-wax casting' it consisted in realising a model of the sculpture (or parts thereof for a large statue) in wax, which was then covered in clay and fired. The wax being lost by melting a cast was created, into which fused metal was poured. Various parts could then be merged together.