The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1896-12-22
MODELLING A STATUE.
TEDIOUS PRELIMINARY DETAILS OF A
SCULPTOR'S WORK.

Well as Artist-Great Care Required In
Working With Ciay-Marble Carved at
Carrara by Skilled workmen.
1t is said of Michael Angelo that he
carved some of the greatest master
pieces directly from rough blocks of
marble without any preparatory studies
or models; but, then, the great Floren-
tine was a genius, and his knowledge
Of the human form and his powers in
delineating it were supreme.
The model appeared to him superflu-
Gus, but he sometimes miscalculated
bow far his blocks of marble would car
~ him in the realization of his ideas.
1t cannot be wondered at that his meth
cd has been followed by few, on account
Of the colossal difficulties involved in
carrying it out, and few sculptors would
consider themselves competent to attack
mass of stone and carve therefrom a
figure almost breathing with life. Even
in the old days sculptors resorted to
more artificial and prosaic methods for
tho esC.uuion of tneir ideas in bronze or
marble.
When we look upon a finished marble
statue, we rarely think of the time and
labor that have been expended on it.
First, a model must be made, but even
preliminary to this the sculptor puts his
ideas in the form of rough sketch" in
clay or wax, according to the delicacy
required
Here the main points are rapidly
nodded in, and some idea is obtained
of how the statue will look when it is
finished. A passing thought, an idea, is
in this way fixed and is more carefully
worked up in the model.
AS rule the first model is small and
is of clay or wax, and at first consists
Of nucleus Of tow or some such mate
rial, on which the clay is laid. Bit by
bit it is built up until by trimming and
adding, dattening and rounding off, the
figure comes to assume its proper pro
portions.
The rough outlines of the ''sketch"
are developed, new ideas are added, 9TH
ers are altered, and by degrees the real
ization of the sculptor's thoughts be-
S4Ao w uppCdA III buO OldJs
In the actual manipulation great care
must be taken that the clay is of the
proper consistence and possesses the
requisite amount of moisture; otherwise
it may become dry and crack.
A still more serious accident is where
the clay crumbles to pieces. In this way
the labor Of months may in few min
utes vanish into mass of debris, an
experience which many sculptors have
had.
To guard against this the clay must
from time to time be moistened, and
when work is finished for the day the
model must be carefully covered with
damp cloths. In this way accidents may
be prevented.
When large models have to be made,
extra precautions must be taken against
drying. The nucleus must be made
strong, of iron rods along the lines
where there is least support, as in the
case Of outstretched arms or legs, and
the rods must be properly fixed in sta
BILE basis.
At first the figures are modelled nude,
and full regard is paid to all anatomic-
al details. The drapery is added after
ward from studies arranged on lay fig
ures.
When the model is finished accord
ing to the taste of the sculptor. a second
one is made or the exact size intended
for the final piece of work Where the
statue is to be made of bronze the full
size model is an absolute necessity, as
the casting in bronze is made from the
model, and it reproduces the latter in
every detail.
Where the statue is to be of marble
the final model need not necessarily be
full size and many sculptors prefer
working from small, highly finished
models. Usually, however, a full sized
model is made in clay.
The sculptor can still alter or modify
his original design, bringing certain
features into greater prominence, sub
DUNG others.
When the model is finished, a cast Of
it is taken in plaster, and this latter is
used as the final model, and, with it as
a guide, the block of marble is carved
by skilled workmen. This is an art
which has been carried to high degree
of perfection in Italy, and the workmen
of Carrara are famous.
The sculptor makes his model in clay
and takes plaster cast, and then sends
it to the works in Oarrara, where it is
chiseled and then returned to him for
the final touches.
After the choice of suitable block
of stone most important piece of work
has to be done-namely, the marking of
certain points on the plaster cast and
the determination of similar points in
the marble. Various methods and in
struments have been recommended for
this purpose.
In practice divided frame is used,
and the exact distance Of certain mark
ed points on the plaster cast is accurate
ly measured. Fixed points on the stone
are marked, and from these the other
points are measured with instruments,
and the depth to which the stone must
be cut or drilled is determined with
great accuracy.
In this way all prominent points are
marked out, and holes are drilled TO the
required depth and the intervening mar
BILE chiseled away, at first roughly, then
with greater and greater care, till the
marble begins to assume its finished
shape.
In the larger sculpture works one
man does the marking, another the
rough chiseling, another the fine work.
Finally a stage is reached when it pass
es into the hands of the sculptor him.
self, and he it is who puts the lines Of
genius into it with his fine instruments.
Although the workers in Carrara are
clever, they seldom are gifted enough to
supply the finishing touches which give
the characteristics of the great sculptors
themselves. London Sketch.