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Adriaen de Vries's Bronze Casting Techniques

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Video Segments

Play All (8 min. 41 sec.)
The Model (5 min. 4 sec.)
Casting (1 min. 33 sec.)
Chasing (2 min. 4 sec.)

Adriaen de Vries most often used a technique called "direct lost-wax casting." During the casting process, the wax of the original wax-and-clay model melts out, or is "lost," hence the technique's name. Because the model disappears, each bronze cast produced is a unique original. If the casting fails, the sculptor must begin again. Thus, only the most confident sculptors worked in this method.


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