Aurélia Azéma Benoit Mille Patrick Echégut Domingos De Sousa Meneses

Abstract

There are two key techniques in the manufacture of large Greek and Roman bronze statues. First, the statue is cast in several pieces by the indirect lost-wax process, and then the pieces are joined by a flow fusion welding process. The principle of ancient flow fusion welding consists of pouring molten bronze between the bronze pieces to be joined. Our laboratory experiments contribute to the understanding of this joining process by studying the thermal and physico-chemical parameters that control the fusion welding of binary copper-tin alloys (bronzes). The results obtained were compared with observations of ancient joins on large bronze statues, but some questions remain unanswered. In particular, whatever experimental conditions were used, we were unable to produce a weld longer than a few centimetres, whereas some ancient welds can be up to a metre long. The use of a ‘magic’ additive, which could act as a welding flux is thus suspected.

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##

Keywords
References
Bewer F, Bourgarit D, Bassett J, Bresc-Bautier G and Scherf G 2008, ‘Les bronzes français (XVIe-XVIIIe siècle): notes techniques’, in G Bresc-Bautier and G Scherf (eds), Bronzes français de la Renaissance au siècle des lumières (Paris), 28-41.
Bouquillon A, Descamps S, Hermary A and Mille B 2006, ‘Une nouvelle étude de l’apollon Chatsworth’, Revue Archéologique 42, 227-261.
Caumont O, Margarit X, Mille B, Piccardo P and Rolley C 2006, ‘Un bras d’empereur romain en bronze à Essegney (Vosges)’, Revue Archéologique de l’Est (RAE) 55, 173-195.
Darblade-Audoin M-P and Mille B 2008, ‘Le pied de bronze colossal de Clermont-Ferrand’, Monuments et mémoires de la fondation Eugène Piot 87 (Paris: Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres), 31-68.
Formigli E 1984, ‘La tecnica di costruzione delle statue di Riace’, in Due Bronzi da Riace [=Bolletino d’Arte Serie speciale 3] (Rome), 107-142.
Hanson D and Pell-Walpole W T 1951, Chill-cast tin bronzes (London).
Mattusch C 1988, Greek bronze statuary: from the beginnings through the fifth century B.C. (New York).
Mille B 2007, ‘Etude technique du cheval de bronze de Neuvyen-Sullias’, in C Gorget and J-P Guillaumet (eds), Le cheval et la danseuse, à la redécouverte du trésor de Neuvy-en-Sullias, catalogue de l’exposition (Paris), 88-99 and 264-265.
Mille B forthcoming, ‘Petit glossaire illustré à l’usage de la description technologique d’une grande statue de bronze antique’, in M Denoyelle, S Descamps, B Mille and S Verger (eds), Actes du colloque Bronzes grecs et romains, recherches récentes, hommage à Claude Rolley.
Mille B and Azema A forthcoming, ‘Nouvelles données de laboratoire sur l’Ephèbe d’Agde’, in O Berard-Azzouz (ed), De l’Ephèbe à l’Alexandre d’Agde.
Morigi G and Morigi L 2008, ‘Note tecniche sul restauro del monumento a Bartolomeo Colleoni di Andrea del Verrochio’, in M Ceriana and V Avery (eds), L’industria artistica del bronzo del Rinascimento a Venezia e nell’Italia settentrionale (Venice), 459-479.
Murry G 1994, ‘Soudage et soudabilité métallurgique des métaux’, Techniques de l’ingénieur Vol MC2, No M715, 1-35.
Patchett B 2003, ‘Basic metallurgy for welding’, Metals Blue Book: Welding filler metals, 5th edn (Edmonton), 17-20.
Schwartz M M and Aircraft S 1951, Metals Handbook: Welding, brazing and soldering Vol 6 (Materials Park, Ohio).
Steinberg A 1970, ‘Joining methods on large bronze statues: some experiments in ancient technology’, W J Young (ed), Applications of science in the examination of works of art (Boston), 103-138.
How to Cite
An experimental study of the welding techniques used on large Greek and Roman bronze statues. (2021). Historical Metallurgy, 45(2), 71-80. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/129
Section
Articles