Styles and Movement
 

Bronze.

An alloy of copper and tin, harder and more suitable for casting than copper; the qualities of an ancient b. are enhanced by the patma which develops on it. From early times the virtues of the metal were realized and both the Greek and the Chinese sculptors achieved a standard that has never been excelled. With the fall of the Roman empire the secret of the casting of figures (cire perdue) was largely lost but was revived at the Renaissance when working reached a new peak. Fine b.s have been found at the African centres of Benm and Ife.



A large bronze cast medallion, some 9.5 by 8.7 centimetres in measurement,
created by the celebrated medalist Valerio Belli in the sixteenth century.