THE ART OF CASTING BRONZE IN JAPAN. 645 



copper, lead, or shirome used. Mercury and gold, wliich are also erro- 

 neously recorded as constituents of some noted bronzes, do not exist 

 in the alloy, and can onlj^ liave been used for gilding their surfaces. 

 Patches of gold have, however, been employed for the decoration of 

 some ancient bronzes. 



The chief characters on which the value of the Japanese copper-tiu- 

 lead alloys as art bronzes depend may be briefly stated as follows : 



(1) Low melting point. This is of especial importance to the Jajia- 

 uese founder owing to tJie fusible nature of the clays and sands of 

 which his crucibles and molds are made. 



(2) Great fluidity when melted compared with the sluggishness of 

 copper-tin bronzes. 



(3) Capability of receiving sharp impressions of the mold. 



(4) Their contraction on solidification is not excessive. 



(5) Their peculiar smooth surface. 



(6) The readiness with which they acquire rich patinas of many tints 

 when suitably treated. 



The advantages resulting from the above properties will be obvious 

 to all artists in bronze. They are chiefly the result of the use of lead 

 as one of the chief constituents of the alloys. The low melting point 

 of these bronzes, their fluidity when melted, and the facility with which 

 they acquire certain patinas are indeed entirely due to the use of this 

 metal. The fine velvety surface and sharpness of the castings depend 

 in a great measure on the structure of the mold and its comparative 

 high temperature when the bronze is poured into it, although partly 

 also on the influence of the lead. These alloys are, however, not with- 

 out some disadvantageous physical properties, and these are also due 

 to the lead which they contain. They are often low in tenacity, and 

 offer but little resistance to bending and torsien when compared with 

 simple copper-tin bronzes, even when they contain sufflcient tin to 

 enable them to hold more lead in solution than they would otherwise 

 do. Their use is hence almost limited to the production of objects of 

 art. And even for those art castings, such as, for example, large 

 equestriau or other statues, where a considerable strain has to be borne 

 by certain parts, their use is unadvisable. But in most art castings of 

 moderate size — and even in many of colossal proportions, where the 

 position of the center of gravity of the mass does not cause excessive 

 tension in any part — it is not necessary that the metal of which they 

 are cast should possess great tenacity. For all such these alloys are 

 eminently adapted, and especially so, as by no others can the work of 

 the artist's hand, with all its delicate and masterly touches, be so 

 readily and perfectly reproduced. 



1 do not think they could be advantageously used for statues or 

 monuments exposed to tbe weather in the impure atmosphere of our 

 great towns, but for castings protected from these combined adverse 

 influences I think the Japanese bronze, "karakene," is worthy of a 

 trial. As we have seen, the Japanese founders have no fixed or stand- 



