Eastern Elegance Bronzes Gold powder paste being painted on copper gold plated statue. Fine Details Bronze statues are given a patina finish, which gives them the antique look that occurs over time when metals are oxidized by contact with the air and moisture. The aged appearance can be artfully created by applying the right chemicals and heat.
Artists begin by hand polishing and then heating the bronze.
Then the patina chemical is brushed on, followed by heated wax. An exact replica of the statue to be cast is made in bees wax from the original masterpiece. The wax model is covered with a claylike material to form the mould and plastered in layers with a mud paste, then left to dry in the sun. Clay model and the bowl for melting the metals. This mud-laminated wax piece is fired in a kiln made of brick and mud plaster.