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The “Lost Wax
Method” is the only technique used by the artisans of Lotus Sculpture to
create our Bronze statues. All of the artwork is one of a kind and is
never reproduced on a large scale. Bronze casting in south India and
Bangladesh is a skill passed on from generation to generation. Lotus
Sculpture's artisans are the descendants of the famous
Chola and Pala schools of bronze casting of 8th to 13th centuries. Lotus
Sculpture assures you that our sculptures are the best quality coming
out India and Bangladesh today.
To give you an idea of the amount of time and delicate work that goes
into the production of each piece we would like to outline the creation
process for you. The lost wax method technique is divided into four distinct
stages, namely 1) creation of the wax model 2) forming the mold
around the wax model 3) casting of the mold and 4) finishing of
the piece.
Although both Bengali and south Indian bronzes are cast using the lost
wax method there are many differences in the two countries casting techniques
which we will show here.
1)
Creation of the Wax
Model
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The first step in the process is to create a wax model. The wax
model is an exact replica of what the finished bronze piece will look
like. |
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Here one artisan is shaping a leg with his
fingers. One major difference between South Indian and Bengali
artisans is that Bengalis use their hands more while South Indian
sculptors use tools.
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Two artisans usually work at a table
together. The large sheet is used to trap the heat from the
lamp, thus keeping the wax warm and malleable.
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Bengali Artisan working on the base of a
statue.
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| The Wax
In
Bangladesh
a combination of 60% paraffin and 40% bee’s wax is used to create the
wax models. The wax is kept under a large light bulb, the heat
keeping the wax malleable. Small quantities are taken to fashion the
rough shape of the desired deity. |
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Since it
is more difficult to maintain the integrity of larger pieces, often the
head, torso, arms, legs and bases are made separately. This allows for
the fine details to be created without worrying about the model being
maimed or destroyed. |
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South India
the percentage of bee's wax is greater giving the wax more of a golden
coloration. Most or all of the work in the creation of the wax
mold is done outdoors especially on larger pieces. This makes
the artists very dependent on the weather. |
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Smoke is created
when the hot file touches the wax as the artist smoothes the file
over the surface shaping the hand of Parvati.
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First the general shape of the model is produced in wax. Then
a fire is used to heat a smooth, metal file. The heated
file is then moved up and down the wax piece to shaped the details
of the model. In larger pieces the details of the piece are
done separately to maintain the integrity of the piece in the heat
of India. |
Dry filing is
occasionally done to achieve the required appearance.
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The wax mold
of Ganesha.
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Once the
various pieces are completed they are carefully assembled to form the
final wax model. Using the flame of a lamp the connecting points are
heated so that they can be melded together. With the artist's finger,
the arm joints are smoothed to fit with the torso, and the torso
smoothed to fit with the base. Once completed, the wax models are
placed into water to ensure that they do not loose shape in the Asian
sun. |
2) Forming the Mold
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There are
three steps
required to make the actual mold that covers the wax figure for
casting of the bronze statues. The term “mold” refers to the hollow
clay form that will be filled with molten bronze to form the figure.
In the
first step,
white clay known as “China Clay” is mixed with water to make a thin
solution. This solution has a fine consistency which allows it to pick
up the finer features of the wax model. This solution is then
painted onto each wax model using a paintbrush and then allowed to dry
for two days. This process is repeated twice. |
The first layer of
china clay has been added to the wax mold of Shiva and Parvati.
The first layer must be completely dry before the next layer is
added.
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For the
second step,
a one to two centimeter pasty mixture is applied to the outside of the model
by hand. Once the paste is dried, holes are made at the bottom of the mold,
which allow thin rods of wax, or nalis, to be attached to the wax
base of the statue. Nalis serve as a passageway; they allow for the molten
bronze to be poured into the mold and as an avenue for displaced air to
escape out of the mold.
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The wax model of
Parvati has a Nali attached to its hand and leg which will help
the flow of molten bronze during the casting process. |
Above the Nalis are filled with bronze
after the casting of the piece. The nali is later removed
from the piece and then filed down.
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For the
third step,
a third and final coating of rice husk, sand and clay is used to cover the
entire surface of the piece. This is the final coating of the mold, applied to
increase the thickness of the mold and to cover the nalis, which were inserted
in the previous step. Small, cup like reservoirs are formed above each nali to
allow for the metal to be poured into the mold without spilling it.
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Bengali molds that are still drying.
Cup reservoirs are much larger for the Bengali molds.
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The south Indian artisan points to the wax nali
that will be replaced by bronze during the casting process.
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Above are the three
different types of clay used to create the firing mold. The small middle
bowl is used to hold the first layer. The large bowl on the right is
used to hold the second layer, this is the largest layer comprising 60% of the
layers on the entire piece. The last bowl on the left is used for the
final layer and has the thickest consistency.
The
Weather
The weather
plays a very important part in the casting of pieces in both Bangladesh and in
south India. It affects the whole process in two ways. The
heat in both Bangladesh and south India is extreme. This often makes it
very difficult to maintain the proper temperature for working with wax.
During the hot season the wax is often too pliable to even hold a shape,
making it impossible to sculpt the wax.
The monsoon season greatly affects the speed in which the molds dry. It
is very difficult to dry large pieces because of the abundance of moisture in
the air.
The artists of
south India and Bangladesh have been casting bronze in these conditions for
centuries and have found a way to work with the elements. During the
rainy season the artists spend most of their time creating the wax models with
limited time covering the molds and drying the molds. During the hot
season they spend most of their time drying the various layers of molds and
firing the ovens creating finished pieces. They are careful not to dry
the molds in direct sunlight. The heat would damage the wax model inside
the mold.
3) Casting
the Mold
In reality, kings, the wealthy, and temples were the only people and
institutions with enough money to create true, five metal (panchaloha), bronze
deities. The five metals were gold, silver, copper, brass and lead. For
contemporary bronzes; copper, brass and lead are the three main ingredients.
Copper contains small amounts of gold and silver so technically today’s
bronzes are four metal bronzes. Copper is a necessary element in bronze
because copper offers more malleability than other metals. This gives
the sculptor a metal he can work with after the casting process to make the
subtle alterations needed for a beautiful, finished piece.
As a general rule, approximately 220-260 pounds of bronze are cast at
one time. The raw, unheated bronze is placed into egg shaped containers called
crucibles. Bengalis use approximately 6-9 pounds of bronze in each
crucible. South Indian artists use much larger crucibles.
Once the molds and bronze containers are ready for firing, they are placed
into the oven with the molds on the top and the containers on the bottom. The
molds are positioned with the nalis facing downward allowing the wax to “burn
out” after the oven is heated. Hence the name “lost wax method”.
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Bengali crucibles are
noticeably smaller than south Indian crucibles.
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South Indian crucibles are much larger.
Here artisans are shown filling the crucibles with various metals.
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A 4 foot, 300 lbs bronze Ganesha is being fired
in the picture above. Because of the size of the piece it cannot fit
in a oven. It will have to sit on the fire for four hours so that
all of the wax will melt out of the mold.
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To melt the bronze a temperature of at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit is
needed for approximately two to three hours. Once the firing is completed
the molds are removed with the nalis facing upwards. Forceps are used to
pick up the containers with the melted bronze so that the bronze can be
poured into the molds through one of the nalis.
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4) Finishing the Piece
After allowing the molds to cool for at least two hours, the bronze can
be uncovered by chipping the layers of coating away. The entire statue is
filed. There is almost always some small defect associated with the entire
casting process. Air can be trapped in the mold creating a gap in the bronze
or a piece can break off when the bronze is freed from the mold. Delicate
reconstructive surgery takes place by heating up strips of metal to fill in
the holes. This process is difficult and does not always succeed in solving
the problem. For this reason a perfectly cast sculpture with no defects and
perfect proportion is a prized piece since only masters of the art of bronze
casting can achieve perfection in the entire process.
After being repaired and further filed down, the statue is sanded and
buffed to remove any scratches and give the finished piece a shine. Care,
precision, time and above all artistic ability are vital ingredients to
practising the lost wax method of bronze casting.
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Post production filing.
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Post production filing on Kali. |
All of the stages of
production for a larger south Indian lost wax piece (shown above).
It takes approximately 6 weeks to complete a 24 inch piece.
South Indian Bronze Artisans
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Artisans of south India usually work in small groups called
collectives, each collective is usually comprised of 3-8
artists. Each artist within the group has specific areas
that they are proficient in. One person may be in charge
of fashioning all the details of the piece, while another is in
charge of shaping the general outline of the piece. All of
the jobs are based on the skill of the artisan. |
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the right is a small collective of three artisans who I was able
to spend time with on my last trip to Tamil Nadu. Arun on
the left is the most gifted artist. He is responsible for
the detail of all the wax models. Once the rough shape is
made in wax, the piece is then given to Arun, he then works on
finer details such as the shape of the face, the ornaments and
the hands and feet. Raja in the middle is responsible for
forming the rough mold for the piece. He does not have the
artistic ability of Arun. Raja is the head of the
collective and the sales person of the group, he is in charge of
everything from acquiring raw materials to the sale of each
individual piece to potential buyers like Lotus Sculpture.
The young man, Kumar, on the right is an apprentice and helps
with most of the labor involved with the piece. This
mostly includes applying the various layers of molds to the
outside of the wax model. He also helps with the basic
shape of the piece. His skills are not yet developed
enough for him to undertake the details of a piece. |
Arun, Raja and Kumar
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Because they are such a small collective they do not have an
oven to fire their own pieces. Instead they plan the
firing of all of their clay molds so that it coincides with the
firing of a neighboring collective that owns a firing oven.
Fire wood for a four hour fire is expensive and this helps both
parties keep costs down by splitting the cost of the firing
between two collectives. |
Above
is their home which also doubles as their bronze studio. The
boy is Raja's son who also helps with the work. He is destined
to become a bronze artist like all of his ancestors before him.
The
caste system
prohibits him from being anything other than a worker. Because
of where he lives in Tamil Nadu his only real option is to become a
bronze artisan like his father, which he looks forward to
becoming. 
The collective was
working on a large standing Shiva piece. They will be working
on this piece for the next 6 months. They also work on smaller
pieces so that they have some income to live on while they are
completing this larger piece.
Written by Kyle Tortora founder of Lotus Sculpture with the help of
Matthew Friedman and his book "Bangladesh Metal Casting" and
the artisans pictured above. |
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