The morning times., 1895-11-10
HOW 4 STATUE is MADE
Sculptor EIIicott Explains the
Long and Difficult Method.
CASTING IT INTO BRONZE
White Plaster of Paris Is Very
Important Feature of the Work
Sectional Duplicates Are Made for
the Bronze Founders

Few if any people outside of sculptors
or their assistants know how a statue In
made and cast into bronze. The process
by which IL is done is long, tedious, and
expensive, the least defect often causing
the whole work TO be gone over. The
cas- tings are also very brittle, and If
they are bumped together or dropped they
smash ike an egg-shel.
Henry j. Elheott, the distinguished
sculptor OF this city, who has Just fin
ished an equestrian statue or Gen. WIN
field Scott hancock. which Will be erected
at Tire corner OF Seventh street ana Penn
sylvania avenue northW est, explained the
process 10 Times reporter.
Mr.. Ellicott has just completed his plas-
ter model OF the statue, and the buiIding
OF this is quite an intricate piece or " ork.
The clay model has been finished Tor some
time, but the transformation from the clay
10 that OF pure White plaster or paris
model is very Important feature Of
statue building.
The clay model OF the sculptor would
be useless without a sectional duplicate
OF it In plaster OF paris, because the sec
lions or the latter are the models TOR the
bronze cast.
The clay statue is solid, so It must be
divided INTO perfect solid sections. They
must lit together so Well that the joints
cannot be seen, and be as strong as though
1t was solid.
HOW 1T is FINISHED.
The sculptor Jnen must be able TO build
II up. placing one section into the other
on the keystone plan, until the whole is
finished up. When IL is built up on this
plan, If there are any alterations or changes
or touching up 10 be done he does II " hIle
tits standing. The standing statue il then
taken apart, section by section. packed
in straw and shipped to the bronze foundry.
The building OF the white statue after the
completion of the ella y models curious and
remarkable process. Work is begun at the
base Of the statue. solution OF plaster
and India red is sprinkIed over the section
70 be cast. This prevents the cast from
sticking to the clay.
When the portion is dry, plaster OF paris
is applied on top of it to the thickness OF
about two inches. Only very small por-
ton of the statue is cast at time, as 1t Ia
necessary to divide the plaster into divisions
which can be removed without breaking.
The clay surface governs the size OF the
divisions. When the plaster is dry II is re-
moved by strips of tin two inches wide.
which stick into the uncovered clay and
separates the dry divisions from the one
to adjoin it.
After the division has been removed little
holes about the size of marble are bored
into the dry part, and when the other part
is put on the plaster runs into these little
holes and forms ball and socket joint.
About ninety divisions We're made in the
Hancock statue before the model was COM
pletely covered.
When the divisions OF plaster contained
in ca ach OF the sections are fastened together
a hollow mould of the section is formed.
Into this mould plasteris poured. Themould
is then shaken and roIeld around to prevent
ta.. nj.
being TO cast the mould hollow. When
about two inches of the plaster has dried
about the sides of the mould. the mould In
torn away and the plaster section remains,
an exact reproduction of the clay model.
CAST WITH A CAVITY
A Roman JOINT is then cast on 1t where
it connects with the adjoining section
One section is cast with the mounting, which
is wedge-shaped, and the adjoining section
is cast with a cavity, into which the wedge
shaped piece fits, thus forming the Roman
joint.
The plaster must be of pure white and
free from all imperfectiOns. Its surface
must be smooth before ii goes TO the bronze
and the sculptor spends consid-
cradle time in dressing each section and ap-
plying retouching plaster on the surface
Tne edges of the joints must be SO smooth
that they cannot be seen, except on the
in the plaster, so they would also appear
in the bronze; the bronze would not then
present the appearance Of baying been cast
in one pieCe-the aim desired.
1t Is in the joints that the founder gets In
his finest work. He casts the final bronze
in imported French sand direct from the
plaster of Paris. This entails a great deal
of labor, and in some instances sculptor
has had to do his work all over because of
an accident haDDpninr to his plaster cals
at the foundry.
Mr.. Elllcott is now at work on O standing
figure of ex-President Franklin Pierce.
which was ordered by the State Of New
He also has IN preparation
bust of Commodore Melville, chief engineer
Of the Navy, for the Loyal Legion
The Hancock statue will be returned to
this city from the foundry within the next
four or five weeks.