A Pair of 19th Century Bronzed Composition Classical Heads on Silvered Plinths

A pair of Empire Period composition moulded busts in the Classical manner, the surfaces patinated to simulate bronze and set upon a pair of silvered plinths. (The plinths of later date.)

Since the Classical Antiquity, busts such as these have allowed sitters to be immortalised. Popular materials for this were stone, wood and, of course, bronze. This pair of busts is made from patinated plaster, a material much used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to enable rapid and accurate replicas of ancient forms to suit the fashion of the day.