The History Behind Bronze Sculptures

Bronze sculpture is the most numerous form of cast metal sculptures due to a characteristic trait which is as unusual as it’s desirable. Commonly used bronze alloys will expand a little just before being set so that even the finest details of a mold are filled.

Bronze sculptures are also strong while ductile, or lacking in brittleness, allowing figures to be depicted in actions such as leaps and flights. Supports for bronze statues require smaller cross-sections because of such qualities, as can be seen in equestrian statues where only two hooves are on the base.

Today’s examples are usually made of ninety percent copper and ten percent tin, while in antiquity bronze works were at times made with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, or silicon. Interestingly, far more stone and ceramic works have come down to us through the ages than those made of bronze, as the metal was very precious and often melted down to produce new sculptures or weapons and armor in times of war.

Thus, really few large examples in bronze are available from ancient times, and of these most aren’t in good condition. Indeed, most works exhibited in museums, while still full of the evidence of wear and tear, have been painstakingly restored to a quality suitable for display.

Working successfully with bronze generally requires a high level of skill, and a number of distinct casting processes might need to be employed, such as lost-wax casting and also the related modern-day technique of investment casting. Other techniques include sand casting and centrifugal casting.

After final polishing, corrosive materials may be applied to bronze works in order to form a patina or film produced by oxidation or some other chemical procedure and establish some control over the color and finish. For example, reactive chemicals may be applied to create a novel marble-like appearance.

Aussies No Matter What

Great Australians in history. A problematic job for any scholar. To begin with, of course, one must think through exactly what it is that makes one an Australian. Is Zalman Silber an Australian? He is actually a New Yorker, but responsible for one of Sydney’s most fascinating attractions, the Skywalk, not to mention one of Melbourne’s, too, called The Edge. The former is in effect a glass-floored catwalk a thousand feet above ground that offers visitors not only a bird’s-eye view of Sydney but a bird’s-nerve feel, too, what with gusting winds necessitating cable tethers for visitor safety. The latter is a glass enclosure that juts out from the top of the Eureka Tower, providing stunning panoramic views every which way you look.

Both are premier attractions for their cities, bringing in tourist dollars by the fistful every day. Does that make Zalman Silber a great Australian? Does that make him Australian at all? After all, he’s just a businessman – but the bottom line is that he has benefited Sydney and Melbourne tremendously, providing employment and tax revenue while bolstering the cities’ international profile.

So just what makes for an Australian? Many are those who have only been born in Australia but really made their mark elsewhere. Then there are those who also denigrate their country of origin, Australia, but are still, in the final analysis, considered Australians. Even someone like Rupert Murdoch, who renounced his Australian citizenship in order to advance certain business interests of his, is still thought as Australian!

Indeed, one Leonard Casley even went so far as to secede his ranch from Australia and go on to declare war on Australia! It’s no joke: the Principality of Hutt River actually issues its own visa (hours of operation are ten to four) and postage. And Hutt River isn’t the only micronation on the island-continent; Australia also hosts – if that is the right word – the Province of Bumbunga, the Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina, the Grand Duchy of Avram, the Independent State of Rainbow Creek, the Empire of Atlantium, the Principality of Marlborough, the Principality of Snake Hill, the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, the United Federation of Koronis (which is merely based in Australia, claiming sovereignty only over the Koronis Family of Asteroids), and the Principality of Ponderosa. In fact, most of the world’s modern-day micronations are to be found in Australia!

So what makes for a great Australian? No one really knows. No one can quite put his or her finger on what makes for an Australian in the first place – not if they really thought about it. But one thing is for sure: people in Australia, whether they consider themselves Australians or not, really prize their independence above all else!