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Bronze
Bronze is an ancient material, known and applied by man to various purposes from approximately 2000 years B.C. Its discovery as a stable alloy of copper and tin was quite by chance, and was likely to have been made by craftsmen from Mesopotamia, from which it then spread throughout Europe.
Bronze became established due to its qualities of resistance and malleability, which allowed the material to be fashioned easily into hardy final articles. For this reason it came to replace copper, the first metal used by man which was mainly limited in the high temperature required for fusion and the softness of the material.
Bronze became established due to its qualities of resistance and malleability, which allowed the material to be fashioned easily into hardy final articles. For this reason it came to replace copper, the first metal used by man which was mainly limited in the high temperature required for fusion and the softness of the material.
Bronze proved decisive in the history of humanity, to the extent that it marked off an entire epoch of man's prehistory. The whole social and political context changed with the advent of bronze: craft workshops developed, trade and traffic developed to retrieve copper and tin; essentially, civilisation began to evolve from this point onwards.
Used to produce weapons, coins and works of art, bronze in time became a favourite material of sculptors. Part of the reason for this was that prior to solidification, bronze expands slightly and takes up any remaining space in the mould containing it, thereby endowing the sculpture with optimal definition and bringing out its detail.
Used to produce weapons, coins and works of art, bronze in time became a favourite material of sculptors. Part of the reason for this was that prior to solidification, bronze expands slightly and takes up any remaining space in the mould containing it, thereby endowing the sculpture with optimal definition and bringing out its detail.
