Bronze Spelter Figure of Young Woman Playing Mandolin
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Spelter - Spelter was the name given to an alloy of zinc and brass or copper used in the 19th century for statuary and lighting. It is a brittle bluish-white metal. It was used as a cheap replacement for bronze, but being brittle easily breaks and can't be repaired. When finished it can often be mistaken for bronze, but if discreet a scratch on the base displays shows a greyish colour, the metal is spelter, if a golden colour the metal is most likely bronze.
- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture. - Faux - A French word meaning "false", but when used in decorative arts, the intention is not to deceive, but to simulate the decorative effects of the more expensive material it is imitating. The term " faux bois" meaning "false wood" refers to a furniture item that has been decorated with a marked grain (woodgrain finish) to imitate a more expensive timber.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
An antique bronzed spelter figure of a girl by A.J. Scotte, 19th century, depicting the figure of a young barefoot girl holding a basket of flowers in her left arm and holding a bloom in her right, incised signature of A.J. Scotte to base and again to the
A painted terracotta figure of a Moor. Late 19th century; Continental, likely Austrian. Signed illegible signature to base. Height 46.5 cm
A finely modelled 19th century French bronze by J. Berthoz entitled 'Sac Et Stera' (Do and Hope), represented as a blacksmith standing bare-chested beside his anvil, signature and entitlement to the base, foundry marks to the reverse, original patina. Heig
Vitaleh, Aldo, after, 20th century, the sinuous female figure of a nature goddess, her robes and hair entwined with vines and flowers upon a circular shaped marble base with foundry lozenge and inscribed signature to base of bronze. Height 41 cm.