History of Bronze
Bronze has been valued for its strength, endurance and beauty for millennia. It is bronze that tells a lasting tale of cultures lost to time – vessels and funerary objects, coins, tools and decorative items provide a record of ancient civilizations.
Mixing it up
Bronze is a mixture of copper and zinc. Before 4,000 B.C., artisans had worked with pure copper. But, the addition of a small amount of tin (about 3 percent of the mixture) produces a much stronger metal with a beautiful natural luster. Ancient artisans were quick to adopt the innovative metalurgy which grew to be so widespread it launched a new era called the Bronze Age, circa 3500-1200 B.C.
The alloy of copper and tin nudged aside woodworking and stone masonry as the preferred choice for objects that needed to be strong and lasting. The earliest cultures transformed by the metal were Greece, Egypt and China, first casting solid, functional objects. But it soon became evident that the metal could be used for a wide array of purposes and its popularity quickly spread.
Lost Wax Found
Some of the oldest and finest examples date from the 14th century B.C., made by artisans in China. Scholars credit the Chinese with developing the “lost wax” process that made it possible to cast complex works of art. At the same time the Etruscans were developing new methods to work with the metal, as did the Romans. The many attributes of bronze quickly flowed to other ancient civilizations until it became a staple of society. From helmets and cannons for war, to bells for religious purposes, bronze forged a permanent role in cultures worldwide.
Bronze work was not limited to the ‘great’ civilizations such as Rome and Greece. The Benin culture in Nigeria was known for its skill and artistry in bronze work. Benin artisans created ritual objects that became prized the world-over and widely collected. An ocean away, Filipino craftsmen were casting small bronze cannons that grew to be so important the cannon was often the only thing salvaged from the frequent shipwrecks of the past.
Various cultures contributed to the refinement of bronze casting. Strides were made in creating new patinas (the color on a finished piece) and, in the late 17th and 18th centuries, painting gilt on bronze works enjoyed popularity. Appreciation of bronze was further enhanced in 1432, when Italian artist Donatello cast his bronze of David. It was the first free-standing nude produced since the classical period and it gave birth to a new school of bronze in Padua – leading to a rich body of bronze sculptures that continues to this day.
Metal and Magic
But it is not the innovations that distinguish the history of bronze. It is that thread of mystery – the alchemy of the bronze process that is unchanged over time. Today, as in the distant past, the sounds of chains rattling and hammers clanging, the sight of foundrymen (and women) coaxing a crucible of 2,200-degree Fahrenheit molten metal from the fire, continues to attract artists and those who love art. As the bronze pours, glowing crimson and bubbling like a lava flow, the magic happens. Art happens. And the foundry workers clang a loud bell that rings across time and place. There’s been another pour and new bronze works are cooling, waiting to take their places in the history of bronze.
