Regency Pastimes: Modelling in Clay and Wax

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MODELLING IN CLAY AND WAX The art of sculpture of which modelling is a principal branch is nearly coeval with the existence of mankind in a state of society To raise a rude stone in memory of a remarkable person or event was customary in the primitive nations and our knowledge of their history and of the institutions that existed previously to the use of letters is principally derived from hieroglyphical sculp tures It is commonly understood that sculptors actually use the chisel and execute with their own hands the works that bear their names this is not the case From the chisel of Chantry is a metaphorical expression that great man is better employed than in chiselling marble The province of the master mind is to execute in clay or wax a model of the intended work The imi tation of a model in marble or other stone is done by the most certain process of geometrical measurement mechanically applied to transfer a sufficient number of points from the model to the stone to preserve the form of the original work so that it is neces sary only to have a careful workman with the proper machine to bring out the model to perfection in marble or other stone The bronze is completed by the simple process of making a mould from
the model in a material capable of standing the heat of the metal in fusion the mould is then broken off and the bronze is some times worked upon by the sculptor and an artificial bronze put upon it to make it of one colour good taste would however prefer the brown which arises from the natural discoloration of the metal by the effect of the common air upon it Wax is the best material for small works such as miniature portraits models & c Large subjects are more commonly mo delled in pipe clay well tempered by wetting and beating it with a mallet The whole process of preparing the clay and the ope ration of casting in plaster which succeeds the modelling are too dirty and laborious for ladies In large towns wax may be bought ready for moulding and it is advisable to purchase rather than to prepare it As however some of our readers may be so situated as to be unable to buy it in a proper state we deem it advisable to offer a few instructions for its preparation The wax should be the fine white material which is used in making candles To two ounces of flake white add three ounces of Venice turpen tine if it be in the summer and four in winter and sufficient vermilion to give it a pinkish tint grind these together on a stone with a muller and then put them into a pound of wax molten in an earthen pipkin and turn them round over the fire for some time When thoroughly mixed the composition should be imme diately removed and poured into dishes previously wetted to prevent the wax from sticking to them A slow fire should be used as the quality of the composition depends upon its not being so overheated as to cause the turpentine to evaporate and leave the wax in a brittle state The tools for modelling are made of box wood bone or ivory but those of wood are most approved especially for wax tools They are of different shapes but those most generally required are quite thin and slightly bent at their ends being rounded off from the middle which is about the size of a common black lead pencil Artists frequently make their own tools but we should advise your young friends to apply to a modeller for a set as also for wax and any other necessary materials all which may be kept together in a box The principles of this art are precisely the same as those of drawing Deprived of the fascination of colour form and form alone occupies the attention of the sculptor if his work be de ficient in this respect it is utterly worthless it is therefore his aim to rise above the mere copying of individual nature and to
erect a standard of ideal beauty a beauty not superior to nature in the abstract but superior to that of any individual specimen of it Upon this principle the ancients executed their most celebrated statues which are not mere representations of nature but of dignified humanity clothed in an imaginary perfection of the hu man form There are three kinds of models the bas relief which projects but little from its ground the alto relief which has a much greater projection or is in parts even detached from it and the statue or round model which stands independently on its own base For the two former a board should be provided larger than the in tended model with a rim round it raised at least an inch The space inside the rim is to be filled up with well tempered clay which must be struck off level by a straight edged strip of wood A general outline of the subject being sketched on this clay by a pointed instrument the embossing is commenced Care must be taken to preserve a due proportion in the projection of the parts from the ground as by this the whole effect is produced and such subjects only should be selected as may be displayed without fore shortening An examination of medals and of the beautiful bas reliefs of antiquity many of which may be seen in the British Museum will shew how much it is possible to effect by very small degrees of relief For modelling small subjects such as medallion portraits in wax a back ground of thick plate glass slate or any material having a smooth hard surface may be used Wax models should be carefully kept from dust while in progress those in clay must be constantly moistened by laying wet cloths over them or keep ing them in a very damp situation as they are very liable to be broken after they are finished if suffered to dry It is advisable to have them moulded and to get casts taken from them in plaster of Paris by the figure makers before they are damaged As we do not recommend our reader to attempt making the plaster casts herself it is unnecessary to describe the process of producing them Should there be any objection or impediment to this plan the models may be preserved by baking them in a potter's kiln by which they are rendered as hard as earthenware and differ from it only in being without a glaze Many specimens of models baked in this manner at very remote periods have been dis covered in various parts of the world they are styled terra cottas their colour depends upon the nature of the clay used varying from reddish brown to white
Medallion portraits should always be represented in profile other positions have been attempted but seldom with a good effect The young lady’s book: a manual of elegant recreations, exercises, and pursuits. (1829). United Kingdom: (n.p.).

 

wax Few tools are necessary for modelling in clay The clay being placed on a stand or sculptor's easel the artist begins the work with his hands and puts the whole into form by the same means The most expert practitioners of this art seldom use any other tool than their fingers except in such small or sharp parts of their work as the fingers cannot reach For these oc casions they are provided with three or four small tools of wood about seven or eight inches in length which are rounded at one end and at the other they are flat and shaped into a sort of claws These tools are called by the French ebauchoirs In some of these the claws are smooth for the purpose of smoothing the surface of the model and in others they are made with teeth to rake or scratch the clay which is the first process of the tool on the work and in which state many parts of the model are frequently left by artists to give an appearance of freedom and skill to their work If clay could be made to preserve its original moisture it would undoubtedly be the fittest substance
for the models of the sculptor but when it is placed either in the fire or left to dry imperceptibly in the air its solid parts grow more compact and the work shrinks or loses a part of its dimensions This dimi nution in size would be of no consequence if it affected the whole work equally so as to preserve its propor tions But this is not always the case for the smaller parts of the figure drying sooner than the larger and thus losing more of their dimensions in the same space of time than the latter do the symmetry and propor tions of the work inevitably suffer This inconvenience however is obviated by forming the model first in clay and moulding it in plaster Paris before it begins to dry and the taking a cast from that mould and the repairing it from the original work by which means you have exact counterpart of the model in its most perfect state and you have besides your clay at liberty for other work In order to model in wax you must prepare the in the following manner To a pound of wax add a pound of scammony some mix turpentine also melt the whole together with oil of olives more or less oil as you would have your modelling wax harder or softer Vermilion is sometimes mixed this composition to give it a reddish colour in imita tion of flesh In modelling in wax the artist sometimes uses fingers and sometimes tools of the same sort as described for modelling in clay It is at first more dif ficult to model in wax than in clay but practice will render it familiar and easy Martin, T. (1813). The Circle of the Mechanical Arts, Containing Practical Treatises on the Various Manual Arts, Trades, and Manufactures. United Kingdom: Richard Rees.

 

The Science Museum has two Regency era anatomical figures in their collection:

Coloured wax model of male, half skeletal, half living and dressed in regency clothes, badly damaged, English, 1810-1850.
Detail view of top half of wax model, black background.

Coloured wax model of female, half skeletal, half living and dressed in regency dress, badly damaged, English, 1810-1850. Front 3/4 view of whole object against graduated grey background.

While its likely most wax figures sculpted by young ladies were not of a scientific nature as those above, it nonetheless showcases the deftness of creations possible with wax, a popular pastime throughout the Regency.

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