The Advocate and news., 1897-12-08
Making of a Statue.

WleQ we look upon uUlSu6u UbTDlS
statue, says an expert in the New York
Tribune, we rarely think Of the time and
labor that have been expended on 1t.
First, 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 rap
idly nodded in and some idea is obtained
Of how the statue will look when it is
finished. A passing thought, an idea,
is ir 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 consists of 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, flattening and
rounding off the figure comes to assume
It's proper proportions. The rough out
lines of the Sketch" are developed, new
IDEAS are added, others are altered, and
by degrees the realization of the sculp-
tors thoughts begins to appear in the
clay.
lu 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
crumbIes to pieces. In this way the
labor OF months may in few minutes
vanish into a mass of debris an eXpe-
rience 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
lie 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 outstrentched arms or legs,
and the rods must be properly fixed in
stable basis. At first the figures are
modelled nude, and full regard Is paid to
all the anatomical details. The drapery
Is added afterwards, from studies ar
ranged on lay figures.
When the model is finished according
to the taste Of the sculptor, a second
one is made of 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 reprduces the latter in
every detail, Where the statue is to be
or marble the final model need not neces-
sarily be full size, and many sCulptOrs
prefer working from small, highly fin
ished models. Usually, however, full
sized model is made in clay. The sculp-
tor can still alter or modify his original
design, bringing certain features into
greater prominence, subduing Others
When the model is finished a cast of
it is taken in plaster, and this latter is
llse6 as the final model, and, with it as
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 work
men of Carrara are famous. The sculp-
tor makes his model in clay and takes
q plaster cast, and then sends it to the
works in Carrara, 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 making 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 a divided
frame is used and the exact distance
of certain marked points on the plaster
cast is accurately measured. Fixed
points on the stone are marked, and
from these the other points are mea-