Décoration grande Statue en bronze - Paysan Africain 20 cm - 922 gr - Statuette - Africa (No reserve price)

Bronze indoor decoration statue - African Peasant 20 cm - 0.922 kg

Made by the Bronze Foundry using the lost-wax technique. (see explanations below)
H 20 cm x 15 cm
Weight 0.922 kg

Dispersion of my personal collection and my father Mr Germain BERTHEL (1920 - 1998) private collection dating from the 1950s.

Original used material, sold as-is and with no restoration.

Fast and careful shipping in Colissimo La Poste, registered with signature and insurance.
Items are pre-packaged as soon as they are listed on CATAWIKI
Groupings of orders are therefore not possible

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please be present or make arrangements for the delivery of your order.
For obvious security reasons, this delivery is made with insurance and requires a signature on delivery. If you have not signed for receipt, the order will be returned to me.
If it arrives back, I can resend a second time if you cover the return shipping costs.

Note: If you are not present during delivery, your postman will not leave a calling card, and will mark your address as incomplete to save time.

NOTICE: The Lost-Wax Foundry.

Lost-wax is a casting technique that consists of reproducing an object in wax, then replacing it with molten metal.

The process begins with the creation of a wax model, often molded from local or imported wax, depending on available resources.
The model is then surrounded by a refractory material, such as a clay-based paste, sand and other additives, which forms the mold.
The whole is then hardened and dried to withstand heating without cracking.
To obtain the mold, the wax core is melted at high temperature and replaced by molten bronze.

The bronze used is generally an alloy of copper and tin, sometimes enriched with other elements according to preferences and desired properties.
The technique requires mastery of temperatures: bronze melts around 950–1000 °C, far above the wax’s melting point.
The wax-to-mold inversion process is called “lost-wax” because the wax is completely evacuated from the mold before casting.
Once the bronze is poured into the mold, the metal cools and takes the exact shape of the wax model.

After solidification, the mold is broken to reveal the rough bronze sculpture.
Bronze pieces then require finishing steps: cleaning, deburring, polishing, and sometimes patination.

In several regions of Africa, this technique is linked to local artistic and symbolic practices (jewelry, statues, ritual objects).
The wax used can be impregnated with aromatic or coloring substances to facilitate demolding and texture.
The choice of bronze and patinas reflects local resources and historical trade interactions (import of copper, tin, etc.).
Artisans develop precise dimensioning to ensure scale and proportion of motifs.
Human intervention is essential: every step — from model to finish — requires skill transmitted by artisanal know-how.
Motifs vary: human figures, animals, geometric patterns, tribal or religious symbols.
Work may be done in family or community workshops, passing techniques from generation to generation.

Today, some workshops integrate modern tools (temperature-controlled ovens, safety equipment) while preserving traditional principles.

The lost-wax bronze heritage testifies to African artisanal ingenuity and its role in the cultural and commercial economy.