Ceroplasty
As a wax sculpture (from ancient Greek κηρός Keros "wax") or Wachsbildnerei is called the art by Bossieren forming or molding objects made of wax.
Most often, the ceroplasty is used to depict fruits, anatomical specimens, artificial pearls , doll faces and the so-called wax figures. With these, usually only the face, head, neck, hands or other naked parts are made of wax , whereas the parts of the body covered with clothes are stuffed. Collections of wax figures form a wax museum.
Ceroplasty was already known in ancient times . However, only from the Renaissance period , when wax sculpture was very popular, have survived smaller, mostly painted, mostly comical genre figures and wax portrait medallions. The main piece of wax sculpture of the Renaissance period is the naturalistically painted head of a young girl from the beginning of the 16th century in the Museum of Lille (Italian work).
The art of wax modeling for the production of anatomical specimens, but also medical models, for example for training in obstetrics, emerged in the 17th century and especially in the 18th century. The centers of this handicraft skill were in Florence, in London at Guy's Hospital, in Paris, especially through Marie Marguerite Bihéron (1719–1795), and in Jena. The wax moulages became particularly important in dermatology .
Among the wax figure cabinets of the 19th century are the most famous Madame Tussauds (1780–1802 in Paris, then in London), Castan's Panoptikum (in Berlin and other cities from 1874 to 1921) and finally the Musée Grévin in Paris .
The wax used for waxy objects (Bossierwachs) is the actual Bossieren of four parts wax, three parts white turpentine , some tree oil or lard , and usually with red lead , vermilion or bolus colored red to take him the disturbing transparency. On the other hand, embossing wax for wax casts is mixed with rosin and, if it should turn red, receives a little cinnabar, if it should stay white, some mastic and slate white . Green Bossierwachs obtained by addition of verdigris . For wax dolls, etc., paraffin and ceresin have recently been used instead of wax . When casting waxed objects (wax casts) one has molds made of wood or plaster .
literature
- Joseph Meisl: The art of wax work. A brief, comprehensible instruction on how to depict human figures and all objects of the animal and plant kingdom, as well as the products of art, in wax. In addition to instructions on how to melt and color the wax. Eurich and Son, Linz 1837.
- Peggy Seehafer: Moulagen - the image in wax. Pp. 97–111, online (PDF; 544 kB)
Web links
- Wax works of art , Article Monuments Online, February 2010
- Wax model of a prepared corpse. University of Tübingen