Lost-wax casting, also known by the French term cire perdue, is a metal casting technique in which an original model is sculpted in wax, encased in a heat-resistant mold, and then heated so the wax melts and drains away, leaving a hollow cavity that is filled with molten metal, most often bronze. Once the metal cools and the mold is broken away, the resulting cast is a metal duplicate of the original wax form, and because the mold is destroyed in the process, each cast is technically unique unless a new wax model is remade from a master mold. The technique is documented across many independent civilizations, including ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, West Africa's Benin Bronzes, and Mesoamerica, and it has remained the standard method for casting bronze sculpture from antiquity through the present, used by sculptors from Donatello and Benvenuto Cellini to Auguste Rodin and contemporary foundries.
Connections
Associated With
Auguste Rodin, Artists Rodin's bronzes, including The Thinker, were cast using the lost-wax process.
Ife Head, Works The Ife Head is a celebrated lost-wax cast work.
Repousse (worked sheet metal) and lost-wax casting are complementary metalworking techniques often used on the same decorative sculpture.
Sculpture, Art Forms lost wax casting is a technique of the sculpture art form.
The Thinker, Works The Thinker was cast in bronze using the lost-wax process.
Sources
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationLost-Wax Casting, Wikipedia summary leadQuote, Lost-Wax Casting, Wikipedia summary lead
Lost-wax casting, also called investment casting, precision casting, or cire perdue, is the process by which a duplicate sculpture is cast from an original sculpture. Intricate works can be achieved by this method.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is each lost-wax cast considered unique?
Lost-wax casting works by sculpting an original model in wax, encasing it in a heat-resistant mold, then heating the mold so the wax melts and drains away, leaving a cavity that is filled with molten metal. Because the mold is destroyed to release the finished cast, the original wax model is also gone by the end of the process, so each cast is technically a one-of-a-kind object unless the sculptor first makes a master mold and remakes a fresh wax model from it for a later casting.
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