Modelling & casting: Wax reliefs

'Don Carlos of Spain', wax relief

'Don Carlos of Spain'
Antonio Abondio (1538-91)
Wax relief
Prague
About 1571-2
Copper-gilt locket
Museum no. A.525-1910
Salting Bequest

Wax was first used to make works of art, as opposed to models, in Italy around 1510. Later, Abondio became the first artist to make portrait medallions in wax. He worked mainly in the courts of northern Europe. This wax, showing the infamous son of Philip II of Spain, comes from a series of imperial portraits.

'Cardinal Christopher Widman', wax relief

'Cardinal Christopher Widman'
Wax relief
Johann Jakob Kornmann (died 1649)
Italy (Rome)
About 1648
Wax, on painted copper
Museum no. A.32-1932
Given by Dr Sir G.F. Hill

This relief is a preliminary sketch for a medal. Once the client had approved the wax, the artist would go on to make the medal.

'George III', wax relief

'George III'
Wax relief,
Isaac Gosset (1733-99)
England (London)
About 1760-78
Wax on black glass
Museum no. A.57-1970

Isaac Gosset came from a family of wax modellers and was said to have been able to produce a startling likeness in just half an hour. He was highly successful, with clients from the royal family and the aristocracy.

'Woman in Renaissance Costume', wax relief

'Woman in Renaissance Costume'
Wax relief
Ella Casella (1858-1950)
England (London)
About 1890-1900
Wax relief, set with seed pearls and semi-precious stones
Museum no. A.18-1996

Ella and her sister Nelia Casella were artists in wax and watercolour who exhibited at the Royal Academy and other galleries during the 1890s. Wax was a much easier material for women to sculpt than marble and the tradition of female wax modellers dates back to the early 18th century.

Three Models for Rosary Beads, about 1650-1700. Museum no. A.41-1932

Three Models for Rosary Beads
Italy
About 1650-1700
Wax, on slate
Museum no. A.41-1932

In planning designs for rosary beads, this artist worked out the compositions in wax first. Reading from left to right, they show the Mocking of Christ, the Flagellation and the Agony in the Garden.

A rosary is a devotional aid for prayer to the Virgin Mary.