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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrotyping | 3/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrotyping | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:47:36.311227+00:00 | kb-cron |
Electrotyping has been used for the production of metal sculptures, where it is an alternative to the casting of molten metal. These sculptures are sometimes called "galvanoplastic bronzes", although the actual metal is usually copper. It was possible to apply essentially any patina to these sculptures; gilding was also readily accomplished in the same facilities as electrotyping by using electroplating. Electrotyping has been used to reproduce valuable objects such as ancient coins, and in some cases electrotype copies have proven more durable than fragile originals. One of the earliest documented large-scale (1.67 metres (5.5 ft)) electrotype sculptures was John Evan Thomas's Death of Tewdric Mawr, King of Gwent (1849). The electrotype was done by Elkington, Mason, & Co. for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Among the most spectacular early examples are Josef Hermann's twelve angels (1858) at the base of the cupola of Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia (see photograph A below). As described by Théophile Gautier in 1867, "They are twenty-one feet high, and were made by the galvanoplastic process in four pieces, whose welding together is invisible. They could in this manner be made so light that, in spite of their dimensions, they would not be too heavy for the cupola. This crown of gilt angels, poised amid a flood of light, and shining with rich reflections, produces an extremely rich effect." Other important sculptures followed; David A. Scott has written, "Some extremely important commissions were made in electrotypes, such as the "bronzes" that adorn the Opera, Paris, and the 320 cm high statue of Prince Albert and four accompanying figures, erected behind the Albert Hall in London as a memorial to the Great Exhibition of 1851." The statue of Prince Albert was unveiled in 1861 (see photograph B below); the electrotyping process "was one in which the Prince Consort had had great faith." The Palais Garnier in Paris (the Opera) has two 7.5-meter-tall (25 ft) sculptures above the main facade; the building was completed in 1869 (see photograph C below). In the 19th century, museums often displayed electrotypes of ancient coins instead of the originals (see photograph D below), and individuals purchased electrotypes for their private collections. By 1920, the Victoria and Albert Museum in England had acquired nearly 1000 electrotyped copies of important objects from the collections of other European museums. The most celebrated may be their copy of the Jerningham wine cooler, which is a spectacular silverwork made in England in 1735 that has long been in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Russia. Many of these objects were made by Elkington & Co., which had an extensive business in electrotyped silver. An important example of electrotyping's use for preservation is the electrotype of the plaster life-mask of the poet John Keats (see photograph E below). The original life mask was made by Haydon in 1816. The plaster mask was electrotyped in 1884 by Elkington & Co., and this copper copy is now apparently in better condition than the plaster original. From 1890 through at least 1930, the Abteilung für Galvanoplastic of the WMF Company in Germany produced many statues and other items using electrotyping. The statues in particular were significantly less expensive than bronze castings. Memorials in German cemeteries from this era often incorporated electroptyped statues from models that had been commissioned by WMF from well-known sculptors (see photograph F below). WMF also undertook larger commissions. One example is the full-sized copper electrotype (1911) of Ernst Rietschel's 1857 bronze for the Goethe–Schiller Monument in Weimar, Germany, which is about 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall (see photograph at right). Many sculptors have experimented with the technique of electrotyping a plaster form that remains as the core of the finished sculpture (Kerngalvanoplastik). As one example, the sculptor Elie Nadelman did several significant sculptures in the 1920s and 1930s using this technique. The advantage was that Nadelman could have these "galvanoplastique" metal sculptures made quickly and inexpensively. Such sculptures can degrade quickly, and have presented significant preservation and restoration problems.
== See also == Luigi Galvani Electroforming
== References ==
== Further reading == Easson, John (2004). "Stereotyping and Electrotyping" (PDF). British Publishing Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-10-20. A3 format poster explaining these aspects of printing. This poster is part of a series of 34 by Easson; see "History of Printing".. Langbein, George; Brannt, William Theodore (1898). A complete treatise on the electro-deposition of metals. Third American Edition. Philadelphia: H.C. Baird & Co. Based on Langbein's Handbuch der Galvanischen Metall-Metallniederschläge. Langbein published six editions of this handbook in German, as well as cooperating with versions in English such as this one; see Georg Langbein (in German). This "American edition" has numerous figures illustrating technical procedures for electrodeposition. Makala, Jeffrey. Publishing Plates: Stereotyping and Electrotyping in Nineteenth-Century US Print Culture. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2023. Partridge, C. S. (1908). Electrotyping: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Electrotyping by the Latest Known Methods (Second ed.). Chicago: The Inland Printer Company. Rice, Roy (1982). "Matrix Making at the Oxford University Press". Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2011-11-17. Wahl, William Henry; Roseleur, Alfred (1883). Galvanoplastic manipulations: A practical guide for the gold and silver electroplater and the galvanoplastic operator. Philadelphia: H. C. Baird. p. 476. Based on Manipulations Hydroplastique. Chapter LIX has a very complete description of the steps in electrotyping for printing, with figures. "About Electroformed Bronze". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-11. Commercial website traces the history of one manufacturer of electrotyped art metal in the US from the 1880s through the 1930s. The firm was created by P. Mori and Sons, who manufactured objects with the brand name Galvano Bronze. Subsequent names included: Pompeian Bronze, Armor Bronze, Marion Bronze, Kathodion Bronze Works and LaFrance Bronze Arts.