International studio (81.1925)

inuGFtriACionAL

tunity to model in wax without sacrificing a jot of style or breadth of

for the first time, a me- plastic concept. But however intricate this model-

dium which was to be- ing in miniature may be, however exacting of the

come the basis of his sculptor's patience and pertinacity, the transla-

future work. The plia- tion of these wax models into enduring metals is

bility of this new sub- the more difficult phase of his art. With the old

stance attracted him and method of solid casting and subsequent chasing,

he began making groups the exquisite facture of the original model would

of little wax figures with stand a good chance of disappearing, the shrinkage

a new enthusiasm; but of the metal under these conditions being enough

when it came to the point to rum such small-scale casting. And so Rosenthal

of casting, he found that came upon a special process of hollow-casting

nobody could execute through the very urgency of his predicament;

this part of the work produced a method of transmuting the soft bloom

spirit of revelry without the subsequent of the sensitively constructed wax originals onto

by louis rosenthal . . ^ d

aid of chasing. He tells the almost egg-shell sheath of bronze (or gold or

of months and months of patient experimenting, silver as the case may be) with no loss along the

of groping ahead step by step toward some method way. But even with this secret process at his
of translating his delicate little command, the delicate operations

models into the enduring bronze entailed in this hollow-casting

without losing the beauty of sur- under such microscopic condi-

face of the original. At last the SA f tions are not always successful

desired result appeared in one of mW*mmww^mr* and sometimes the work has to

the groups of "Samson and the WL.IBa BT be done over again and again

Foxes" which came out perfect, Y" mm JmT*» before a perfect casting is secured,

and from then on the road opened j mm Another consideration that adds

wider and wider to accomplish- I fi to the difficulties of the work is

invocation
by louis rosenthal

ment and success. J I the fact that the original wax
The very nature of this sculp- . I M models can only be subjected a
tor's art is so unusual that in the mmm mat few times to the rigorous de-
first amazement at its diminu- I mands of casting, and therefore
tiveness the intrinsic beauty and the editions of these little master-
power of these minute master- pieces are very restricted,
pieces are apt to be overlooked. Within the comparatively few
Because of size, the Rosenthal "s byTou^msentha'l5'' years that Rosenthal has been
sculptures are often confounded engaged in making his extraor-
with the exquisite chased productions of the gold dinary little sculptures, he has produced a wide
and silversmiths, whereas they are pieces of direct range of groups and single figures. He works as
sculpture in the strictest sense of the word. The yet in the more or less
artist, without the aid of microscope or other conventional manner of
extraneous paraphernalia, proceeds directly to his the Renaissance sculp-
plastic task in the same way as any other sculptor, tors, stressing in much
only instead of the moist clay he uses black wax the same way the quali-
for his building material. An ordinary pearl- ties of surface and struc-
handled pocket-knife is his only tool, and with tural elegance that they
this simple and seemingly limited equipment he brought to such fine out-
fashions his figurines with a skill that is virtuosic come. Yet his more or
indeed, adding bit by bit the heated wax to the less traditional manner is
growing mass (if "mass" may be used to describe highly informed with the
such minuscule affairs), keeping the knife blade individual touch that is
and the wax always at the proper temperature, strictly Rosenthal.
The size of these figure compositions range from Sometimes he is in pa-
a scant five-eighths of an inch to perhaps a full ganly gay and sportive
two or three inches. In the case of the larger mood, as the many frol-
groups, Rosenthal manages to introduce a large icking figures of wood-
number of figures within these Lilliputian limits land sprites and person-

tbree eighty

august 1925