The papers in this volume shed light on the production of important French bronze sculptures, as well as decorative and utilitarian objects, dating between the 16th and 18th century. Those who study such works must take into account that the making of a bronze is an inherently reproductive process as well as a complex, collaborative endeavour. The studies presented in this book mostly relate to the production of specific sculptors and founders, or of specific works of art. They draw on a range of evidence – written sources, archaeological investigations of foundry sites, close scrutiny of the objects themselves and elemental analysis of metals reveal much about the business of bronze working and technological know-how, and provide a further wealth of evidence about process, as well as increasingly useful information for attribution and dating. As the papers illustrate, integrating these technical approaches with connoisseurship is the key to understanding and characterizing the fabrication processes of particular works, and to correctly identifying the relationship between different casts based on the same model.
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Contents
Part 1: From Primaticcio to Houdon
I.1 Francesco Bordoni : spécificités techniques chez un sculpteur-fondeur du 17e siècle D. Bourgarit , G. Bresc, F. Bewer
I.2 Barthélemy Prieur fondeur, son atelier, ses méthodes de travail R. Seelig, F. Bewer, D. Bourgarit
I.3 De Dame Tholose au Mercure volant: fondre en Languedoc aux 16e et 17e siècles P. Julien, A. de Beauregard
I.4 Casts after the antique by Hubert Le Sueur J. Griswold, C. Hess, J. Bassett, G. Bresc, M. Bouchard, R. Harris
I.5 Keller et les autres : les fondeurs des jardins de Versailles ou les cent-un bronzes de Louis XIV A. Maral, A. Amarger, D. Bourgarit
I.6 Keller and his alloy: copper, some zinc and a little bit of tin J.-M. Welter
I.7 Jean-Antoine Houdon: sculptor and founder J. Bassett, G. Scherf
Part 2: Small castings and multiples
II.1 The Dresden bronze of the Bath of Apollo: a model, not a copy F. Moureyre, U. Peltz
II.2 Les bronzes décoratifs à Paris autour de 1700. A propos des groupes de François Lespingola Ph. Malgouyres
II.3 Bronzes Dorés: A technical approach to examination and authentication A. Heginbotham
II.4 A Prussian manufactory of gilt bronzes à la française: Johann Melchior Kambly (1718-84) and the adoption of Parisian savoir-faire T. Locker
II.5 Les mortiers, objets méconnus des bronziers français B. Bergbauer
Part 3: Casting techniques: transmission and evolution
III.1 Casting Sculpture and Cannons in Bronze: Jehan Barbet’s Angel of 1475 in The Frick Collection J. Day, D. Allen
III.2 The cut-back core process in late 17th and 18th century French bronzes J. Bassett, F. Bewer
III.3 Témoins archéologiques d’un atelier de bronzier travaillant à Saint-Denis à la fin du 16e siècle O. Meyer, N. Thomas, M. Wyss
III.4 The Foundry at the Hippodrome. A French foundry for monumental sculpture in Stockholm around 1700 L. Hinners
III.5 Boffrand’s and Mariette’s Descriptions of the casting of Louis XIV and Louis XV on Horseback A.-L. Desmas
III.6 Cire perdue moule carapace : Ã travers les recherches et les réalisations de la fonderie de Coubertin J. Dubos
Reviews
The book is well illustrated with extremely clear and informative photographs and diagrams. [It] gives a comprehensive background to the commissioning and casting of bronze statues with extensive analysis of the different bronzes being used, which can help to establish the foundry and date of production as well as authenticity. The close inspection of the pieces also gives a vivid insight into the production methods showing infills, repairs, building and finishing techniques.
ICON News - September 2014
This bi-lingual volume of 18 papers by curators, art historians, scientists and conservators is the tangible result of an international symposium organised by the Musée du Louvre and the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France ("C2RMF") in June 2012. The organisers and authors are to be congratulated on its rapid publication, and the publishers on a well-illustrated and dynamically designed art book. [...] The volume is a mine of new and fascinating information.
The Art Newspaper - No. 261, October 2014
