Liggende ged 1851 - 1913

Vilhelm Bissen modelled this resting goat in plaster, sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Plaster is an interesting material. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to work, allowing for a great deal of detail as you can see in the animal’s fur. But it’s also a material of reproduction. Sculptors like Bissen would often use plaster to create a model, which could then be translated into a more durable and costly material like bronze or marble. The very texture of the plaster, which can appear rough or chalky, evokes the work of the hand, the marks left by tools. We might even think of this sculpture as a kind of prototype, a stage in a longer process of production. So next time you see a plaster sculpture, remember that it’s not just an artwork in its own right, but also a document of artistic labour, and a step towards the work’s possible future.