Ron Zoglin has been in the antique business for more than 25 years and owns Brookside Antiques in Kansas City, MO. Visiting art galleries and museums is one great way to see antique objects of art that are considered aesthetically pleasing. Iron is highly magnetic, and you'll feel the pull in the magnet. If you strike a hollow place on the sculpture with a wooden dowel, resin gives a dull thud instead of a ring. In this case, it is very simple to distinguish the color of the original metal, without patina, which, in the case of the spelter, will be white and gray while the bronze would have been yellow. It is essential that buyers choose only the highest quality spelter productions paying attention to the cast quality and patina. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Bronze is unlikely to show damage and is less corrosive than spelter, however its also susceptible to bronze disease . 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. Tube: Willesden Green (Jubilee Line). To find out what is your sculpture made of, see tests below. If you put a foot-tall bronze sculpture on a scale, it will weigh six to ten pounds. If a piece is not being reproduced or is difficult to reproduce, its rarity increases.
Deborah Shouse is the coauthor of Working Woman's Communications Survival Guide and a contributor to a number of anthologies, including the American Book Award winner I am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted. Centuries ago, bronze was a groundbreaking alloy of copper and tin, used for weapons and art. After cast is removed, patina is applied the metallic looking surface. Edit: See post #4 from this thread: Adamantine Finish Care and Protection The information about finishing spelter is about half-way down. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. One nineteenth century writer observed that it was so supple he could wrap a shaving of it around his finger. 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. Examine the item for patches where the patina, paint or gilding has worn through, revealing the base metal. 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. It is also poisonous so always wash your hands after handling. 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. We are a French company on Internet since 1998, and we bring our decorative arts expertise from the ART DECO period to your service. 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. What is spelter - and how can you tell if an antique is made out of spelter or bronze? Look carefully at each item you're considering buying, inside and out, upside down, and right side up. What might be a minor chip or crack in a piece of porcelain can significantly devalue a piece of glass. Painted or gilded figures should not be allowed to get wet but should only be dusted lightly with a soft haired artists brush. You can hire 100 people to trample a new Oriental rug to give it a worn in look.\r\n\r\n
Deborah Shouse is the coauthor of Working Woman's Communications Survival Guide and a contributor to a number of anthologies, including the American Book Award winner I am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted. Also, watch for patches of corrosion, because bronze doesn't rust. Spelter is a lower value metal also known as white metal or pot metal. Many customers believe their sculpture is Bronze and are disappointed when they find out their sculpture is made of Spelter or Resin. Scratching the patina also shows the surface of the metal underneath. Therefore, we can not chisel or carve it: the mold must be as precise as possible especially concerning the fineness of the details.The zinc sculpture and the lead spelter can be covered with copper by electroplating then gilded, but they are more generally patinated: it means that they are painted with copper, silver or polychrome pigments (more precisely, it is a glazing with turpentine and pigments). 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. - Sales conditions If it flakes or scratches off easily, it's probably a painted on patina-substitute. The term "spelter" is never used in France during the 19th century.The real spelter is an alloy appeared at the end of the 19th century. Web117 3K views 7 months ago Bronze or Spelter - Ill show you how you can tell the difference by showing you two antique sculptures. How Can I Tell If My Tag Heuer Watch Is Authentic?, Differences between earthenware stoneware and ironstone. Was this a copy of a larger Moreau sculpted? spelter How do you tell if a statue is made of bronze? In the second decade of the 20th century increases in the production of spelter arose from copper production being utilised for military munitions during WWI. Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 10am to 6pm, Copyright 2007-2022 Galerie Marc Maison, Privacy policies Archaeological bronzes or items that have been exposed to salty air may develop bronze disease small powdery green spots on the surface. Mar 23, 2006. The challenge when it comes to how to tell bronze from spelter, is that spelter naturally ages over time to closely resemble bronze. .\" or, \"If only that carving weren't slightly off-center. 83670 Barjols, FRANCEinfo@1930.fr. Spelter is often electroplated. Corrosion also occurs more easily in spelter. 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. Heres a quick guide for how to identify each material - and therefore determine if something is made of spelter or bronze. Demand for spelter increased during the mid-nineteenth century. Have a great holidays season and happy new year! 75, rue des Rosiers93400 Saint Ouen Opening Hours :Friday from 10am to 12.30am,Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 10am to 6pm,and everyday by appointment. The metal has been used since about the 1860s to make statues, tablewares, and lamps that resemble bronze. Bronze is extremely hard and therefore unlikely to display any damage at all other than to the surface patina. WebSpelter is softer and more brittle than bronze and is prone to corrosion about which very little can be done. Is it the type of antique the seller says it is?\r\n\r\nPart of the mystery and fun of antiques is separating truth from fiction. HOW TO IDENTIFY A QUALITY BRONZE SCULPTURE www. Region. That is, the fewer the additions or deletions over the years, the better. Sapphire-colored cream pitchers from this era are rare. and Eckstein, K (2003) "Production of Brass in Antiquity by Direct Reduction" in Craddock, P.T. After casting the body of the work it can be painted or gilded. The first question sculpture owners often ask is: "Should I bother to fix this?" The name can also refer to a copperzinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc. After all, antique items made of spelter are a sign of the times when the material was widely used. Today, art dealers are taking great interest in spelter, first introduced to Europe from the Orient by Dutch and Portuguese traders in the seventeenth century. Moreover, the technical manuals of the time use "zinc sculpture" (French: "zinc d'art") for sculpture copies and works of art made especially from the second half of the 19th century. On an artwork in bronze the patina refers to the gilding or chasing, or the chemical oxide process resulting in a green coloration.
Deborah Shouse is the coauthor of Working Woman's Communications Survival Guide and a contributor to a number of anthologies, including the American Book Award winner I am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The solution is also suitable for cleaning hard stone such as a polished granite, onyx, blue john, jade and agate. If the object has any cracks visible, its likely to be spelter rather than bronze. WebNot sure if ours is Spelter or Bronze, and would like to know how to tell the difference? The dark or greenish brown patina that forms on bronze is highly desirable and should be preserved; so don't use metal polish or solvents on any bronze or any water on indoor bronzes. The piece is then rubbed back to highlight features and polished with wax. P.J.Mene How do i Know if the Bronze Horse is really? You can also compare a suspect figure with pieces you know are bronze. Also, knowing the flaws of a piece can be a negotiating tool. Mix a tiny bit into a small amount of the gold paint. Removing soil from urns and troughs will reduce the danger of frost damage. 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.