Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1855-08-02
HOW STATUES ARE MADE,

The Greek Slaue.-George H. Calvert,
through the Literary World, gives the fol.
lowing interesting occoun. Of the process ol
manufacturing statues, in a notice of Pow
srs' Greek Slave:
4hsGreek Slave is the aerond ideal work
Of the American sculptor, Hiram Powers
The Eve being his FIRST. The clay model
was begun and finished in the summer and
autumn Of lS42. American sculp,ors hsv-
ing been hitherto obliged TO work abroad,
but few Of our citizens have opportunities
Of Witnessing the labors Of the studio; &C.
cep.able, therefore. will be some explana.
lion of the several processes through which
a work in scul pture must pass, ere The Of
"st cen present his conception smoothly
embodied in marble. The visitors TO the
"Ssve" will thus be made acquainted with
The bodily birth and growth Of the wonder-
ful creation that stands before them in dsz-
zling beauty.
The conception being ma,ured 10 the a..
iisI's mind, the first step in the process of
giving form 10 it, is to erect on q firm Pc
des.al, a skeleton Of iron, whose height,
breadth and limbs, are determined by the
size and shape Of the proposed Statue. In
this case i. would be abou. FIVE feet high,
with branches, first q, the shoulders run
ming down forward for the arms, then q,
the hips, to supper, the large mass Of clay
in the trunk, and thence divided into ,w O
for the legs. Abou, this strong simple
lreme is now roughly built, with wet clay,
The predetermined image, Rapidly is this
moulded into an approximation of the hu-
man form and when the trunk, head end
limbs have been definitely shaped, then be-
gins the close labor Of the mind. The liv-
ing models are summoned, and by their aid
The surface is wrough. 10 its last stsqe OF
finish. With these bres,hing figures before
him, and through his precisr knowledge Of
the form and expression Of every par, Of The
human body, obtained from the study OF ns-
'ure and his own deep artistic intentions, the
clay under his band gradually grew into
life, assumed the elastic vital look, which
no mere anatomical knowledge or craft can
give, but which is impaired by ,he genial
sympathy with natures living forms in sl-
lance with warm sensbilny 10 the beau
tiful qualities crown and render effectual
the other less elevated endowmenis for art.
Thus, by the mos, minute manual labor,
directed BY these high snd refined mental
gifts, the clay model Of the "Slsvs" was
wrought. out; and here the artists work en-.
ded ; The creation was complete. The pro-
cesses whereby i. wss now 10 be transfer
red 10 marble, though Of q delicate, dificul.
kind, and requiring labor and time, are pure
ly mechanical, and ere performed, under
the artis.'s direction, by uninspirsd hands.
10 order ,ha, The soft clay image b ,tsns-
formed into harder substance without suf.
fering the slightest change in the surface, .
mould is applied to it in the same way, and
with The same material as when a cas-, is
taken Of the living face or head, by means
Of semi-liquid plaster Of Paris. The clay
figure is entirely covered with This substance
from one or Two or more inches thick, pro-
vision being made for taking of the arms,
and for splitting the trunk after tho plsister