Collection: Antique Bronze

What to Look For When Buying

Confirm the metal before anything else. Bronze is heavy for its size, warm brown to green in tone, and hard. Spelter, a zinc alloy used extensively in the nineteenth century for decorative casts, is noticeably lighter in the hand, sounds dull rather than resonant when tapped, and shows a silvery grey colour beneath any surface scratch or in an unfinished area under the base. Spelter pieces were often finished to imitate bronze, and while good examples are attractive, the difference in material is fundamental and belongs in any accurate description.

Then look at the casting. Lost wax casting holds crisp, deep detail, particularly in undercuts, hair, drapery and fingers, and lost wax pieces are usually hollow with a visible interior surface and often a plug or vent. Sand cast work shows a slightly softer surface and frequently a seam line where mould sections met. Later casts taken from an original bronze rather than from the artist's model lose definition at each generation and are typically smaller than the original, since the metal shrinks as it cools. Foundry marks, edition numbers and the manner in which a signature appears are all evidence: a signature cast into the surface as part of the mould reads differently from one engraved into the metal afterwards, and both occur legitimately.

Surface is the final and often the deciding question. An original patina shows variation, with darker tones in recesses and lighter wear on the raised areas that are handled or dusted, and it should look integral to the metal rather than sitting on top of it. A uniform, flat colour, particularly a hard brown or black with no variation, usually indicates a repatination or a paint applied over a stripped surface. Marble, onyx and slate bases should be checked for chips and for whether the base is original to the figure, since mismatches are frequent. We assess and document these things before listing, and our team is available to discuss the evidence behind any attribution.

Caring for Your Piece

The most important instruction is the shortest: do not polish a bronze. Metal polish, abrasive cloths and household cleaners strip patina permanently and destroy most of an object's value along with its appearance. Dust with a soft, dry brush, working into recesses rather than across raised detail, and use a soft cloth only on smooth surfaces. Do not wash a bronze or allow water to sit on it, and pay attention to the join between a figure and a stone base, where trapped moisture causes staining and corrosion.

Handle bronzes with clean, dry hands or cotton gloves, since skin oils leave marks that develop over time into visible bright spots on a patinated surface. Lift by the heaviest solid mass, never by an extended arm, weapon, wing or other projecting element. Keep pieces in a stable, dry environment away from direct sunlight, damp and salt air, and away from radiators and air conditioning outlets. Coastal humidity in particular is worth guarding against, as prolonged exposure to salt laden air causes active corrosion that spreads. A microcrystalline conservation wax applied thinly and infrequently is the only treatment worth considering at home, and even that is best discussed with a conservator first. Any repair, repatination or cleaning beyond dusting is specialist work.

Traditions Worth Knowing

French nineteenth century bronze is the reference point for the category, with the animalier sculptors and the great Paris foundries producing work of exceptional casting quality that has been reproduced ever since. Viennese cold painted bronzes form a distinct and highly collected field, prized for finely modelled subjects and hand applied colour, where condition of the paint surface drives value almost entirely. Japanese bronzes of the Meiji period brought a different tradition of alloy and patination, producing surfaces in colours European foundries did not attempt. Twentieth century decorative bronzes, particularly Art Deco figures often combined with stone bases, remain among the most recognisable and most frequently reproduced objects in the market.