Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-10-24
CHEAP STATUEI1NES.
HOW THEY ARE MADE, HARDENED,
FINISHED AND coLoRED.

Italians From Tuscany Excel the
World In Their Production-Thc
Demand For These Cnsts Thnt
Comes From Our Schools.
While it is not difficult to secure good
American workmcn for carrying out
schemes of interior decorations, it is
impossible yet to get native born men
capable of modelling statuettes and
busts such as are sold on the street
corners and IN many of the art shops
All the worllmen employed in factories
that produce these are Italians, chiefly
from Tuscany. This is equally true Of
those who follow this trade in Ger
many and France. Tho Tuscans ap-
pear to have q natural ability for that
sort of work that has given them the
monopoly Of 1t.
The great majority of these busts and
statuettcs are copied directly from the
originals wherever they happen to be,
and then the molds are made from that
copy and sent to all parts of the world,
the statues being cast in the place
Where they are to be sold. In the lar
ger shops in New York city, however,
certain amount of original work is
done in order to keep pace with the
popular demand for representations of
the hero of the hour. a great many of
our most distinguished poets, authors
and statesmen whose busts are exposed
for sale on the street corners never sat
for these portraits. Some workman
modelled the head after photograph
and occasionally has produced such
good work that it is almost n pity the
sculptor's name should remain un-
known.
The chief purchasers of these casts
from the larger makers are the high
schools all over the country. They de-
mand, of course, not only classical sub
jects and copies of ancient bas-reliefs
and architectural details, but also busts
of famous men and women from every
period of the worlds history. Such Il
wide range OF subjects is covered by
this demand that seven and eight thou
sand titles arc included in some of the
catalogues issued. The factories where
these figures are turned out exhibit in
their sllowrooms an assortment and
confusion of time, place and nature be-
wildering to look at.
The process Of casting these statu-
cites is comparatively simple one
when the mold is once completed. The
material used, plaster of paris, is
cheap, and u very excellent quality is
produced in this country When the
statuette comes out, it is pure white
and covered with ridges made by the
different sections of the mold. These
ridges are carefully removed, and then
the cast is placed in an oven heated at
about 1870 degrees. After it has been
baked for n certin length of time it Is
plunged into solution OF stearic acid
and kept there until thoroughly satu-
rated. Then. when it has dried, the
yellow color is gained by applying to
the surface solution of beeswax, tur-
pcntine and coloring matter. This color
will not wash off, and, of course, any
shade can be produced at will.
The demand for nude statues in the
art schools is growing less every year."
said one of the largest makers of these
casts. "That is because people are
realizing more and more that artists
must draw from the human figure it.
self IL they wish to understand the
human form. We get more orders now
for drnpcd figures in the art schools
and for busts in the high schools. I'm
til very recently the busts of most of
the celebrated Americans which we
sell had been made In Italy from pho
tographs sent over from this country,
and many mistakes occurred in mat
ters of detail, like the cut of the coats
and collars. We are trying to do these
now In Il more modern and characteris-
tic way and occasionally have been
furnished with photographs by their
families"
The statucttcs Which are carried
about the streets wrapped in harmoni-
Gus yellow tissue paper or are display
ed OH the sidewalks or OH the steps of
lunoccupied houses are made by quite
a different set of manufacturers. The
larger dealers do not sell to these street
pcddlers at all. The peddlcrs have their
own little workrooms, which furnish
them with their stock at Il much lower
rate than the regular dealers charge.
No originals are made IN these ateliers,
and most of the mo!ds are gained by
taking them from n cast bought from
some other firm. The stearc acid bath
is left out OF the process, and conse-
qncntly the color of these cheaper
works washes off.
The peddlers of these statuettes stand
In about the same relation to sculptors
and sculpture that the hand organ play
ers do to music and musicians. They
reflect fairly accurately the popular
taste, and, according to their tcstI-
mony, 1T is the Tanagra tigurincs that
IN the long run sell the best OF all their
stock. From time to time there is a
market for the bust of some particular
man, and those sales are always tenn
porary. Grotcsque figures are always
in demand and copies OF the various
models of Venus with which the public
are familiar. Rows of Cupids and of
monks heads, winged Victories and
busts of Wagner come and go us pop
ulnr fayorites, but the Tanagrn fgur-
ines have II steady sale that insures
their presence In the stock of nearly
every street peddlcr New York Post.
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