Sculpture techniques: bronze casting
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and often also contains lead or zinc. It is strong and durable but can also c…
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Medal striking & casting
This page shows the stages involved in designing and casting a contemporary medal. As an example, it uses the John …
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Auguste Rodin working methods
Rodin's working methods combined a passionate response to the human body, and a delight in free, spontaneous drawin…
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Sand cast aluminium
During the RCA/V&A Conservation Course, I wrote a Materials and Techniques essay on Metal Casting. As research, I s…
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The Gloucester Candlestick: manufacture & decoration
The ‘Gloucester candlestick’, dating from 1104–13, belonged to the Church of St Peter in Gloucester (now Gloucester Cathedral). As metalwork was commonly melted down and reused, the survival of this candlestick is both remarkable and significant, showcasing techniques and craftsmanship in the Romanesque style which might otherwise have been lost. The candlstick was cast in three parts using the lost wax method. The Gloucester Candlestick is decorated with a menagerie of real and fantastic creatures. Winged dragons support the drip pan, apes clamber along the stem and hybrid animals bite, grab and pull for position among foliage and flowers along the base.
RCA/V&A conservation course abstracts: materials & techniques essays 1992/3 & MPhil theses 1993
RCA/V&A Conservation Course Abstracts
David's fig leaf, perhaps by D. Brucciani & Co., about 1857
In 1857 a plaster cast of Michelangelo’s ‘David’ was presented by the Grand Duke of Tuscany to Queen Victoria, who immediately gave it to the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). This fig-leaf was cast soon afterwards, probably by D. Brucciani & Co., and hung on the ‘David’ to spare the blushes of visiting female dignitaries.
Cast Courts
This is the subject hub for Cast Courts
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Sweet Pea Pearl Necklace by Michael Michaud
This beautiful collection is cast from real flora, capturing each natural detail of the original.
Buy nowEvent - Touch Tour: Carving, Casting & Cuir Bouilli
Tue 17 July 2012 11:00
For blind & patially sighted visitors: This talk and touch tour will focus on examples in the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.
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