A bronze foundry transforms an artist’s labor of love into a brilliant masterpiece.  While those that work there are less recognized for the deserved admiration of their work, without them, this process would not be possible for most artists. Both parties are responsible for seeing a sculpture through from inception to completion.  Without the training and experience of the foundry master, it would be difficult for the artist to finish a sculpture meant to be seen by art’s spectators.

A great amount of detailed work is required to bring a sculpture to fruition.  The experts who work for a bronze foundry must labor diligently to maintain the proper dimensions and scope so that the final piece is an exact replica of the initial plaster model made by the artist.

The plaster model produces a number of molds that are absolutely essential to complete the finished product.  Fireproof materials such as clay and cement are used in addition to iron rods.  These materials allow the artisans to continuously make the molds that will be used to complete each phase of the sculpture’s creation.  A bronze foundry is equipped with chemicals that are used to eat away at the area around the core of cement so that there is enough room to make the clay model that will be used during the firing of the sculpture.

It is imperative that the extremely hot liquid metal is poured correctly and allowed to cool.  The bronze foundry then is in charge of making sure that the finished piece is void of any imperfections that deviate from the model.  If requested by the artist, the proper type of bronze patina is applied through polishing techniques that have been used for decades.