Mercury c. 19th century

This “Mercury” is an anonymous bronze sculpture, and the process of its making is as important as its subject. Lost-wax casting is a method used since antiquity to produce complex forms, and involves creating a wax model, encasing it in clay, melting out the wax, and pouring molten metal into the resulting mold. The intense heat of the metal gives the sculptures a unique surface quality. This energy remains legible in the finished product, and the method is so labor-intensive. The figure is dynamic, full of potential energy, a god of trade, thieves, and travelers forever in motion. The sculpture requires numerous artisans such as founders, chasers, and finishers. The labor is essential to understanding its value. Thinking about the making of artworks like “Mercury” gives us a more complete sense of their cultural significance, and it questions conventional definitions of what constitutes art.