Archetech Issue 22 2016 | Page 85

Nic Fiddian-Green

They are beautiful, exquisitely crafted
collectables to be enjoyed, handled and
contemplated by generations to come
history, there is a smaller selection of ancient sculpture dating
from 300 BC to 20th-century Modern masters, such as Elizabeth
Frink, Marino Marini and Lynn Chadwick.
In a nod to its founding focus, the sister gallery on Jermyn
Street continues to show rare and important sculpture by 19th
and 20th century masters, such as Rembrandt Bugatti, Edgar
Degas and Auguste Rodin. Both galleries have regularly shown at
most major international art fairs, including TEFAF Maastricht,
Masterpiece London and the Paris Biennale, a testament to the
high calibre of art the gallery continues to curate.
These days, it is far from fashionable to create art that is true
to the subject and is honest and transparent in its aim; to simply
portray an image or impression of the model and to create a
beautiful object. But, whether you have an underlying affection
for animals or simply find the natural world fascinating, the
combination of an artistic interpretation of nature with elements

of beauty and a well-crafted aesthetic are a powerful antidote to
the more frenzied elements of modern life. Their artists create
works that are not egotistical confirmations of power and wealth,
they are beautiful, exquisitely crafted collectables to be enjoyed,
handled and contemplated by generations to come.
All of their bronzes are produced in small limited editions.
The artist creates the original model in clay or another malleable
medium, which is then cast in bronze by a specialist foundry –
normally using the lost wax (cire perdue) process – an enormously
skilled and labour intensive technique first used over 5,000 years ago.
While modern craftsmen founders have technological advantages,
such as welding equipment, power tools and rubber moulds, the
core process remains basically unchanged. Once the piece has
been through the many complicated stages, it is then cast in bronze
at temperatures of up to 700°C. The raw bronze, which is an alloy
of copper and tin, is then worked or ‘chased’ by the foundry
before the bronze is heated and the coloured patina is applied.
The finished bronze, normally signed and numbered by the artist,
will have taken some two to three months to complete.
It is the combination of half a century’s insight into the industry
and the beautifully evocative forms that result from such highly
intensive labour processes that ensure that any purchase made
from Sladmore will be cherished for generations to come.

SLADMORE CONTEMPORARY 32 BRUTON PL, LONDON W1J 6NW

[phone]

SLADMORECONTEMPORARY.COM

©Great British Brands 2016 published by Country & Town House;
COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK /GBB
www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk/great-british-brands

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