Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-12

Prom The INelC York Times
MT. Frederic Nors. who has charge Of the
bronze department at Tihanys, deliv cred q
lecture last evening on the manufacture and
uses OF bronze, at the Cooper Institute.
'luxury Indicates civilization" Mr. Vors
said that what TYPOGRAPHY, photography
and engraving had done for printing. bronze
casts had done for sculpture. Patterns were
made In wax, plaster or wood. Some art
lists used one medium and some another.
For common work, such as chandeliers, the
pattern was usually made In wood. IL mat
tered little, however, what was used, pro-
yided IL would afford angles and sharp,
clear. smooth surface. Formerly, In copying
large pieces of statUary, the artist worked
entirely by eye, and the result was that bis
copy was never perfect 1t always had some
OF the ARTISTS Individuality in IL. In 1856
Achille Collas, Freedman, adapted the
paragraph TO obtaining reduced copies OF
antique statues. Mr.. Vors then explained
by means OF diagrams how the pantagraph
worked. BTonzes, he said, can only be cast
I'm sand. III no other medium will the molds
'.take, as the woTkmen say. The best sand
is the magnesium, which is obtained
in the pits near Paris. The pattern
made By the artist is laid on a bed
of this sand, which is mixed with lamp
black and beaten down hard. Pieces of
this sand and lamp black are then laid on the
pattern, so that they can be "drawn," accord
ing TO the technical term, and the mold is
built up over the pattern like so much brick
work. The finest bronZeS are the thnnest.
The popular idea Is just the contrary of this,
bronze cast the more valuable it is. The
Japanese and Chinese mO1el in clay. This
is waved, then the outside mold Is put on,
and the heated metal on being poured in, of
course meIts the wax and takes Its place.
This method was found 10 answer very well
Tor certain work, but In other kinds II would
not do at all. Mr.. NOrs thea read BenvenutO
Bellini's description, as given to the Duke
de Medici, OF the manner in which he made
his cast of the grand statue OF Perseus This
was accomplished by the wax method. 1t
was generally supposed, Mr. Nors said, that
the very finest bronze contain silver and
gold, one or both, but this error arose from Q
statement made by Cellint, and which has
ieen misunderstood. The best bronze was
composed of 70 parts OF copper, II of zinc,
and II o. tin. Ancient b:ODze swas COM
posed of copper and TIN alone, zinc being
then unknown Imitation bronze, some
times called French bronze, was simply
pewter IL was run into iron molds. Tue
lecturer here exhibited several InOits, tOngs,
crucibIes, AMI presses used In making bronze
casts. Tue remaining portion OF The lecture
was devoted to explaining the methods of
finishing, oo'oring and enameltng. Finish
ing wss q compiishei e ther oy the scraper,
which gave perfectly smooth surface. such
as the bronzes made by Barn. exhibit,
or by stpPie Sork r Shien bs initiates me
method OF finishing called cross etching.
This is dOEe with IIffier or file. This is
considered the highest style OF finish. Bronze
IS originally OF bright yellow color, but by
tie use OF chemical agents almost any color
or tint can be obtained. Commonly sulph-
ret OF ammonia Is USED. Inc bronze is
heated, and lamp-bIack is then rubbed in.
Inc color II actually absorbed into the pores
OF the metal, SO that the bronze can be ex-
posed to the weather without changing its
color. Some artists gid the high lights of
their bronze bas-relieis. This Is very effect
i've. The gliding is burned In. To make
gleen bronze (verd antique) the surface is
covered with verdi girls. Olive-green bronze
is only a modification of this. Smoke col
ored, or ElOrentine bronze, is obtained by
covering the surface Of the metal with
heated shellac and hanging the article over
a fire of straw or shop refuse. Mr.. VOrs then
spoke of the various methods of enameling.
The Chinese and japanese were the first to
Introduce this art. The famous Cloissonnee
enamel Is composed OF powdered colored
glass, vitriied. Small ridges of metal are
left, or small spaces are punched out Of the
metal, and the powdered glass Is placed In
them. The surface is then polished SO that
II has no appearance OF glass, and few persons
Will believe that the work Is accomplished
In this manner. The Limoges enamel is
only yarnish and paint. ClOissOnnee enamel
is now made in France quite equal in ap-
pearance to the japanese and Chinese, bat
II is very costly. A small plate is worth