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Gaston Lachaise's Bronze Sculptures In the Fogg Museum

2010; Routledge; Volume: 49; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1179/019713610804500555

1945-2330

Julia J. Day, Jens Stenger, Katherine Eremin, Narayan Khandekar, Virginia Budny,

Archaeological Research and Protection

AbstractGaston Lachaise (1882–1935) was one of the principal sculptors working in the united states in the early 20th century, yet his techniques and materials have not been studied systematically. this article presents the results of an investigation of various methods for dating his bronzes that focused on 14 examples in the Fogg Museum, harvard art Museums, cambridge, Massachusetts, and took into account an additional 68 bronzes and 24 models made by the artist. reconstructing aspects of his artistic process was useful in assigning a relative chronology to several casts. casting methods and alloy compositions, as well as finishing, patina, inscribed signatures and dates, and foundry marks, also offered important clues for dating. the techniques used in this study were: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, cross-section analysis, polarized light microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Visual and technical analysis in tandem with documentary research established that 10 Fogg Museum bronzes were lifetime casts and 2 were posthumous, and indicated likely dates for the 2 remaining casts. the investigation provides a basis for further study of Lachaise's bronzes, and contributes to the growing body of technical information about the history of bronze casting in the united states.TÍTULO—esculturas de bronze de Gaston Lachaise no Fogg Museum RESUMO—Gaston Lachaise (1882-1935) foi um dos principais escultores nos estados unidos no início do século XX, contudo suas técnicas e materiais não foram sistematicamente estudadas. esse artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa de vários métodos para datar seus bronzes, focada em 14 de seus bronzes existentes no Fogg Museum (Museu Fogg), Harvard Art Museums (Museus de arte de harvard), cambridge, Massachusetts, e levou em conta outros 68 bronzes e 24 modelos feitos pelo artista. a reconstrução de aspectos de seu processo artístico foi útil na determinação de uma cronologia relativa para diversas peças fundidas. os métodos de fundição e as composições das ligas metálicas, bem como o acabamento, a pátina, as assinaturas e datas gravadas, e as marcas de fundição, também forneceram importantes pistas para a datação. as técnicas usadas neste estudo foram: espectrometria de fluorecência de raio X, análise transversal, microscopia de luz polarizada, e espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier. análise visual e técnica, em conjunto com pesquisa documental, determinaram que 10 bronzes do Fogg Museum eram fundições feitas em vida e 2 eram póstumas, e indicaram datas prováveis para as duas fundições restantes. a pesquisa fornece uma base para futuros estudos dos bronzes de Lachaise, e contribui para o desenvolvimento do conjunto de informações técnicas sobre a história da fundição de bronze nos estados unidos.Gaston Lachaise (1882–1935) was one of the principal sculptors working in the united states in the early 20th century, yet his techniques and materials have not been studied systematically. this article presents the results of an investigation of various methods for dating his bronzes that focused on 14 examples in the Fogg Museum, harvard art Museums, cambridge, Massachusetts, and took into account an additional 68 bronzes and 24 models made by the artist. reconstructing aspects of his artistic process was useful in assigning a relative chronology to several casts. casting methods and alloy compositions, as well as finishing, patina, inscribed signatures and dates, and foundry marks, also offered important clues for dating. the techniques used in this study were: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, cross-section analysis, polarized light microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Visual and technical analysis in tandem with documentary research established that 10 Fogg Museum bronzes were lifetime casts and 2 were posthumous, and indicated likely dates for the 2 remaining casts. the investigation provides a basis for further study of Lachaise's bronzes, and contributes to the growing body of technical information about the history of bronze casting in the united states.TITRE—Les sculptures de bronze de l'artiste Gaston Lachaise dans la collection du Fogg Museum RÉSUMÉ—Bien que Gaston Lachaise (1882–1935) était l'un des principaux sculpteurs uvrant aux etats-unis au début du 20e siècle, ses techniques et ses matériaux n'ont pas encore fait l'objet d'étude systématique. cet article présente les résultats de recherche sur diverses méthodes pour la datation de ses bronzes. L'étude a porté spécifiquement sur 14 bronzes dans la collection du Fogg Museum (Musée Fogg), Harvard Art Museums (l'un des musées de l'université harvard), à cambridge au Massachusetts; de plus 68 uvres additionnelles ainsi que 24 modèles produits par l'artiste ont été inclus dans l'interprétation des résultats. il a été utile de reconstruire certains aspects du procédé artistique du sculpteur afin de mieux définir la chronologie relative de plusieurs de ses moules. De plus, les techniques de moulage, la composition des alliages utilisés, les types de finitions ou de patines, la présence de signatures ou de dates engravées sur les uvres, et enfin les marques de fonderies ont aussi été considérés en tant qu'indices pour la datation. Les analyses ont été faites au moyen de spectroscopie à fluorescence des rayons-X, microscopie en coupe transversale, microscopie en lumière polarisée et spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier. Les analyses visuelle et technique, de paire avec l'étude des sources documentaires, ont permis d'établir que 10 bronzes du Fogg Museum ont été coulés lors du vivant de l'artiste, tandis que 2 sont des uvres posthumes. Des dates probables sont proposées pour les 2 autres bronzes qui font partie des 14 bronzes originaux de l'étude. cette analyse a permis d'établir des données fondamentales qui pourront servir à d'autres études sur les bronzes de Lachaise, et contribue à l'accroissement des connaissances techniques sur l'histoire du coulage des bronzes aux etats-unis, un domaine de recherche actuellement fort actif.TITULO—Las esculturas de bronce de Gastón Lachaise en el Fogg Museum RESUMEN—Gastón Lachaise (1882–1935) fue uno de los principales escultores de los que trabajaron en los estados unidos a principios del siglo XX, pero sus técnicas y materiales aún no han sido estudiados sistemáticamente. este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación para fechar sus bronces, enfocada en 14 de sus bronces del Fogg Museum (Museo Fogg), del Harvard Art Museums (Museos de arte de harvard), en cambridge, Massachusetts, y en la que se tomaron en cuenta 68 bronces adicionales y 24 modelos realizados por el artista. La reconstrucción de distintos aspectos de su proceso artístico fue útil para asignar una cronología relativa para varias de las piezas fundidas. Los métodos de vaciado y las terminaciones, pátinas, firmas y fechas incisas, y marcas de la fundición, también proporcionaron indicios para el fechado. Las técnicas usadas en este estudio fueron: espec-troscopía de fluorescencia de rayos X, análisis estratigráfico, microscopía de luz polarizada, y espectroscopía de transformada de Fourier. Los análisis visuales y técnicos, junto con la investigación documental, estableció que 10 de los bronces del Fogg Museum fueron vaciados durante su vida y dos eran póstumos, e indicaron fechas probables para las dos piezas restantes. esta investigación provee una base para el estudio adicional de los bronces de Lachaise, y contribuye con el creciente cuerpo de información técnica acerca de la historia de la fabricación de esculturas de bronce en los estados unidos.