The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-01
MAKING A STATUE.
The Principal Part of the sculptor's
Work Is Put in the Model.
From the New York Advertiser.


From the New York Advertiser.
1t is said of Michael Angelo that he
carved some of his greatest masterpieces
directly from the rough blocks of marble
without any preparatory studies or mod
els; but, then, the great Florentine was a
genius, and his knowledge of the human
form and his powers in delineating it
were supreme. The model appeared to
him superluous but he sometimes mis-
calculated how far his blocks of marble
would carry him in the realization Of his
ideas. 1t cannot be wondered at that his
method has been followed by few, on ac-
count of the colossal difficulties involved
in carrying it out, and few sculptors
would consider themselves competent to
attack a mass of stone and carve there
from a figure almost brea thing with life.
Even in the old days sculptors resorted
to more artificial and prosaic methods
for the evolution of their ideas in bronze
or marble.
Looking upon a finished marble statue,
few think of the time and labor that have
been expended on 1t. First, "a model must
be made, but even preliminary to this the
sculptor pits his ideas in the form of a
rough sketch" in clay or wax, accord
ing to the deicacy 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 a rule, the first model is small,
and is of clay or wax, and at first con-
sists of a nucleus of tow or some such
material, on which the clay Is laid. Bit
by bit it is built up, until by trimming
and adding. fiattening and rounding on,
the figure comes to assume It's proper pro-
portions
The rough outlines of the sketch are
developed, new ideas are added, others
are altered, and by degrees the realization
of the sculptor's thoughts begins to APP
pear in the clay. In the actual manipula-
ton great care must be taken that the
clay is of the proper consistence and pos
sesses 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 minutes
vanish into a mass of debris, an expert
ence 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
driving. The nucleus must be made
strong, of iron rods along the lines where
there is least support, as in the case or
outstretched arms or legs, and the rods
must be properly fixed in a stable basis.
At first the figures are modelled nude,
and full regard Is paid to all the anar
tomical details The drapery Is added
afterward, from studies arranged on lay,
figures.
When the model is finished. accordins
to the taste of the sculptor. a second one
is made Of the exact size intended for the
final piece of work. When 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. IL
reproduces the latter in every detail.
Where the statue is to be OF marble tbs
final model need not necessarily be full
size, and many sculptors prefer working