Sculpture Savvy

It is not unheard of and actually happens more often

than not, where the exact same patina cannot be

reproduced. Patinas are a handmade process and what the

bronze takes one way before, it may take a significantly

different way the next. I've seen variations in patina, by the

same patina artist, go anywhere from brown to pink into

red. And the sculpting artist felt these variations where all

acceptable. So if you are standing in front of the sculpture,

don't let the gallery order and drop ship the piece to you.

Insist the piece you see is the piece you get. And the

best way to assure this is to write down the edition

number of the sculpture on your invoice before

finalizing the purchase.  Don't worry about getting a

different piece with the same numbers, because a gallery

would be very hard-pressed to produce a second

sculpture with the same edition number. If they did,

there would be no end to their legal nightmare.

By the way, if you hear the words with Bronze

Dust, know the person is talking about a resin sculpture.

No matter how fancy or valuable the seller may make the

piece sound, it's nothing more than cast resin with

bronze dust mixed into the work. Buying such an item

if you really love it is a wonderful way to enrich your life, but

don't expect it to retain value.