Georg Müller, Badende

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				Price: on request

Description

‘Badende’ (‘Bathing’)
Biography: Georg Müller

Executed in bronze.
Single unique cast, with core still inside (see X-ray photo below).
Created likely between 1910-1920.

A cast of ‘Badende’ (‘Bathing’) by Müller was displayed at:
– the Int. Kunstausstellung der Münchener Secession, 1911 (silver): depicted in the exhibition catalogue;
– the ‘Muenchener Kunst Sonder Ausstellungen in der Neuen Pinakothek’, 1935 (bronze);
– the GDK 1940, room 36 (bronze);
– the ‘Münchner Kunstausstellung Danzig’, 1941 (bronze).

Direct Lost-Wax Casting – the Single Unique Cast
In the direct lost-wax casting process (also named ‘cire perdue’), the sculptor begins by building a roughly modelled clay-core over a metal armature. The clay-core is baked to harden it and drive off moisture, and then a relatively thin layer of wax is applied that receives the detailing of anatomy, texture, facial features and signature. A mold is formed around the wax-model, when the mold is heated the wax melts and creates a space into which molten bronze is poured. Once the bronze is cast, the clay-core and armature can be removed to lessen the weight of the finished sculpture. Occasionally the core and armature rods are -in whole or in part- left inside the bronze. On sculptures meant to be placed outdoors, the clay-core and iron-armature are generally removed in order to avoid damage from absorption of water.
The direct lost wax technique allows the artist to cast directly off of the original model, and is ideal for wax models with complex surface textures as well as large and complex compositions. This casting method produces a Single Unique Cast from a Single Model (as opposed to one that is cast from a mold of an existing model). The original master model is lost in the casting process: producing more copies of the master model is impossible.
When X-ray photos show iron armature or internal frame inside the bronze, it is evident that the direct lost wax casting technique was used and that we have to do with the original cast/model.

X-ray photos taken in 2021 of ‘Badende’ by Müller. Visible are the iron wires from the core inside.

From left to right:
– ‘Badende‘, ‘Int. Kunstausstellung der Münchener Secession’, 1911: executed in silver;
– ‘Badende’, depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings’, Monatshefte, 1915/16: executed in silver;
– ‘Badende’, depicted in the ‘Jahrbuch der Münchner Kunst’, 1918: executed in iron;
– ‘Badende’, at the Great German Art Exhibition, 1940 room 36: executed in bronze.

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