Discount Bargains for Bronze Sculpture, Statues, and Fountains. The time to buy is NOW

The economy has affected everybody. Prices have fallen on homes, cars, and many other items. Bronze statues and fountains are no different. When we began selling our pieces we were primarily a wholesaler catering to websites and landscaping firms. Now, due to the tough economy, we have shifted our focus to retailing directly to the consumer at wholesale pricing. If you're looking to buy a bronze statue, sculpture, or fountain, NOW is the time to buy. We are offering prices far below what we have ever offered in the past. Even as our costs continue to rise due to the ever increasing copper prices we are offering discounts. People have become tired of going through a "middle man" and paying for it. A company like ours is unique because we actually stock our items and have long standing relationships with foundries all over the world which ensures we always give you the maximum discounted price possible. You can get wildlife statues, sculptures of children, and beautiful fountains for your landscape or public area at a price that is unmatched anywhere.
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Bronze Statues and Sculptures are Perfect as a School or Club Mascot

Bronze sculptures and statues and mascots go hand in hand. Many of the pieces we have, especially the life-size and larger than life animals, are perfectly suited for use as the symbol for schools or organizations. Eagles, Tigers, and other animals are all represented in school sports and nearly all are readily available in bronze in virtually every size. Bronze fits so well due to its durability, beauty, and sheer impact it can make sitting on top of a well made pedestal. Plus, since bronze is such a flexible medium, it's easy to create custom pieces that look just like the costumed version of a the mascot that runs the sidelines. These symbols, in the proper setting, will instill pride within the student body or organization and be the envy of any school or club that doesn't have one of their own. If you want to make an impact and have a symbol that will last for generations, a bronze sculpture is the way to go.

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Preserving Your Bronze

After you purchase your new bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain you'll want to ensure that it keeps its beautiful look for many years to come. Now, you may want to leave the piece alone and have it naturally "age" over time. A lot of people like the pieces even more once they begin to get that Statue of Liberty look to them. If you're one of these people, just sit back and enjoy your piece as is and it will weather over time. However, if you'd like the piece to retain its original look, like our Eagle, some protection will be required. When these piece are created they're polished with a wax like Kiwi Boot polish which gives them that beautiful luster. Eventually, that initial coating will wear off and the weathering process will begin. To prevent this you can put on a new coating of the same type of polish, plain paste wax, or a clear spray on laquer. We recommend Permalac. It comes in a spray can and is easy to apply. You definitely never NEVER want to use any automotive grade waxes or abrasives as it will remove the finish rather than protect it. A little simple maintenance every few years will keep your bronze looking as good as the day you bought it!

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Accent or Impact?

When you make the decision to purchase a bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain the most important question to ask yourself is, "What am I going for?" This simple question can go a long way to helping you narrow down your search and make the process much less stressful. There's basically two trains of thought, " Do I want a subtle yet pleasing accent or do I want to make an impact!?" You should sit down and take a look at your specific need to figure this out. A small garden with a water feature? You may want to get a piece like the heron, pictured, that will add beauty yet not overpower the landscape. Have a business you'd like to see get more attention? A large bronze statue like our charging bull, pictured above, would be the way to go. A piece like that is sure to get the attention of passers by as well as your clientele. A piece that large will make much more of an impact than a flat sign, no matter how fancy. And often, it's cheaper than a sign! The same holds true with a bronze fountain. Is it going to be the focal point of the space it's in or add to the overall ambience? Just a quick evaluation will help you to decide which direction you need to go in and make the buying process a good one!

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Shipping Tips and Cost

Shipping a large piece of bronze sculpture or fountain is no small task. Many times, the cost of shipping can be a deal breaker when a piece needs to be shipped across country. Bronze is heavy, especially when you're dealing with life-size works. Most people don't realize the cost involved and often directly compare the shipping cost to the price they paid for the statue or fountain itself. We encourage our customers not to do this for two reasons; first, you're liable to miss out on an incredible price and second, the shipping cost we're able to offer is often far and away better than you would pay as an individual. We often recommend brokers like Blue Grace Logistics or Diversified Transportation Services who can get the lowest rates by bidding the job to competing companies. Also, you must take into account the work that goes into getting your bronze ready for shipment. Each piece must be carefully wrapped and crated, with the crate being completely tailored to each work of art. This service is often free. In fact, if you ever need to ship a piece yourself you'll want to be sure to put it on a pallet base for easy moving, and build a secure crate with a lot of supports for the piece so it won't move around during it's journey. Not doing so will most likely result in damage to your sculpture or you may not be allowed to ship it at all. A good way to know if you're getting a good deal on shipping is if the amount is pre-paid or collect. If it's pre-paid the company has most likely added a pecentage over the estimate they received to cover themselves, but this means you may be paying an extra couple hundred dollars you didn't need to. The same holds true with "Free Shipping"; generally this just means that the cost of the shipping has been added in to your price, with the same mark-up you'd find with the pre-paid. We like doing freight collect. It ensures that the customer only pays the exact amount due and eliminates the upcharge we would have to include. This way, the customer knows they're not being taken for more money than needed. At bigbronze.com we want our customers to feel they are getting the maximum savings we can provide, be it through us or an outside broker.

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Price vs. Quality

When you decide to add a piece of bronze sculpture, statue, or a fountain to your landscape or home decor you want to know that you're getting a quality item. Bronze is an investment and it's not a cheap one. However, a gallery piece with an astronomical price tag doesn't always guarantee that it's well made. Vice versa, a "wholesale discount" piece doesn't mean that it's poorly made. Many people have an aversion to purchasing items that were made overseas because the belief is that it's probably not very well made. And, in some cases, this is true. This is why due diligence is very important. A reputable dealer with a history of happy customers should go a long way toward easing any worries you may have as to the quality of the sculptures and art they are selling. Often times, the overseas artisans and foundries were trained in the states and then went back home to build their business there. Also, the prices often reflect the cost of doing business in a certain country. The cost of living, average pay, and overhead all play major factors in the cost you must pay. So, the next time your in the market for a bronze sculpture or fountain, knowing fact from fiction should help you get the best price and best quality piece for the price.

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Copper Prices Affecting Bronze Sculpture and Statue Art

Many people don't realize that the price of the bronze sculptures, statues, and fountains they love are affected greatly by the cost of copper. Bronze is made up of 70 - 90% copper along with some other alloys. When the cost of copper goes up, as it has in the last few months, the price of the sculptures and fountains must increase as well. Many of our prices are still based on the pre-inflation prices of copper making them even more of a bargain. This is another reason buying a bronze sculpture is a good investment. As the copper prices continue to rise, so does the value of your piece.

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Custom Bronze Kids holding a Globe Sculpture Statue Art

At BigBronze.com, not only can we do custom pieces, we can customize existing ones as well. Our "Kids Holding a Globe" design has been a popular piece ever since we first introduced it, but a few months ago we had a client request that the children be made to look like her kids. We were able to have the boy appear older and taller and make the faces of the statue resemble those of her, now adult, children when they were kids. This project shows the virsatility you have with bronze and with us. If you see a piece that interests you but would like to have it customized to your need we may be able to accommodate you. As with any custom bronze project, the only limitation is your imagination and the budget you have. Here at All Classics Ltd. and BigBronze.com we always try to get you the biggest bang for your buck.

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Tasmanian "Tazzy" Tiger Thylacine Original Bronze Animal Sculpture Art

Here at All Classics Ltd. and bigbronze.com we're always coming up with new and unique concepts for our original, exclusive bronze sculptures and statues. We thought it would be neat to do a statue of the fabled Tasmanian Tiger. We always thought it was a perfect subject to be immortalized in bronze and could be a great addition to a museum, display, or private collection. And, wouldn't you know it, the response has been great! We sold the first 2 pieces made within a month of their arrival. Both to private collectors. This piece is our very own design so it can't be found anywhere else, making it very rare, and a very good investment.

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Buying a Bronze Sculpture 101: Understanding the Process

The history of bronze sculpture dates back several thousand years, and was predominately used in Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Near Eastern civilizations. Many of the same techniques used thousands of years ago are still in use today, in fact.

Bronze is an alloy made by melting copper and tin in varying proportions, but the resulting metal is easily worked and melted, does not rust and has a smooth finish. The ability to be colored artistically using chemical treatment combined with the ease of use makes bronze an ideal medium for many artisans.

The earliest method of making bronze sculpture was to use solid masses of bronze, but later artisans developed the lost wax casting method, which enabled the artists of the time to develop larger works of art, and produce the bronze sculptures faster.

About a thousand years ago, artists began using the lost wax casting method to create their masterpieces, and has been used by such renowned artists as Donatello, Rodin, Remington, and Russel, to name a few. The process of lost wax casting allows artists to produce as many works of their art as they feel fit, and while no two pieces of bronze sculpture are the same, all bronze made from the same mold is still original artwork.

Many famous sculptures belong in the public domain, and can be recreated in bronze using the lost wax casting method process to put a piece of history in your home or landscape project, at an affordable cost.

The Process

The first step in creating a bronze sculpture using the lost wax casting method is to sculpt the original piece from which the mold will be made. All the detail is captured in this stage, which is the basis for the rest of the process.

The next step of casting is to pour molten wax into the mold, using layers of wax to form an exact duplicate of the original casting.

The wax is pulled from the mold and detailed, or chased, welded and polished by individual artisans. Each piece may contain some small variation from the original, but the reproductions remain true to the original sculpture.

Wax rods and pouring cups are attached to the wax casting to assure a full pour. Using a temperature controlled climate, the wax casting is dipped into investment liquid (liquid clay, essentially). After the first dip, a powder is applied to the clay, and on subsequent dips a layer of ceramic sand is applied, creating a ceramic mold that must be allowed to dry between layers.

The ceramic shell is then placed into a kiln and fired, the shell is baked and the wax is melted (lost) from the shell, creating a hollow ceramic shell mold and the phrase 'lost wax casting.' The mold is removed from the kiln, and molten bronze is poured into the shell at about 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.

After several hours of cooling, the unfinished bronze is carefully stripped of the ceramic shell. The ceramic shell fragments are carefully removed from the bronze, which is carefully inspected at this stage.

If required, this is the time when a master craftsman would weld larger sections together, and chase or re-detail the weld marks. Afterward, the craftsman uses a process called 'glass beading' in which the bronze is sprayed with powdered glass under extremely high pressures to ensure an even bronze finish.

The bronze is now hand polished and heated to await the patina application. The patina is hand applied by the artisan, and a layer of wax is hand applied with heat to ensure a lustrous patina finish. After a final inspection, the bronze sculpture is now ready for delivery and display.

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Buying a Bronze Sculpture 101: Artist vs. Wholesale

A question brought to us a lot is,"Who is the artist?" or "Is the piece signed?" The idea that you are owning a one of a kind or limited edition piece from an established artist is very appealing to people. However, the price that goes along with owning one of these "artist" originals isn't appealing at all. And there in lies the major difference with owning an artist's bronze sculpture vs. a wholesale bronze sculpture, the price. Bronze art sculptures, statues, and fountains are all made the same way with the same materials, whether they are hot cast or cold cast. With an artist piece you're paying for the name, or reputation. When you buy from a wholesaler, you're paying for the bronze, and not the artist's ego. The quality of the pieces are virtually the same. In fact, many of the foundries that create the pieces sold at a wholesaler are used to make the limited editions sold by an artist at a fancy gallery. The only other difference between an artist's bronze and a wholesale bronze is quantity. Generally artist pieces are done in very limited editions whereas wholesale pieces are done in quantity. Both have inherent value that will increase over time as metal prices increase. So, before you make your purchase, decide what you're really after, a piece you can sit back and enjoy knowing you paid a fair price for, or an artist piece you can enjoy, but hope you didn't pay too much and whether the artist's name will grow. Either way, they're both bronze and will last a lifetime and longer. It's just a matter of the price you want to pay.

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Custom Ronald Reagan for the USS Ronald Reagan and Library

A few years back we did a custom bronze sculpture for the USS Ronald Reagan of the president. The life-size bronze statue is situated in the welcome center as you come on board. The ship is docked in the harbor in San Diego. This piece was donated as a show of our patriotism and support of the Reagan memory. Another model was donated to the ranch the family had by Nancy herself. A third was placed in Reagan's boyhood hometown. And another is in the state house in Maryland. The final piece in the series was to be sold to a private collector, however it was never picked up. It is now available for sale at our ebay store at a significant discounted price. It would be a great addition to a library, museum exibit, or private collection. You can see it here.

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Extreme Makeover Home Edition Season 5 Horse sculpture donation

A couple years ago we actually donated a piece to the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team for a build in Port Deposit, Maryland. We donated our standing foal statue pictured above. It sits in the center of the circle driveway leading up to the home. We've made several donations to all kinds of school, organizations, and museums, but this one was especially nice because it went to a family in need. You can see more pictures of the piece here: http://www.ctextremedream.com/

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Salvador Dali Venus de Milo Surrealist Bronze Sculpture Statue

This is our custom made, 3-D representation, of the Salvador Dali painting of the Venus de Milo with pencil drawers. Dali was enamoured with the icon for the Venus pencil company so he decided to do a painting of her. We're big fans of Dali so we decided to created a bronze sculpture of his painting. She's a very cool piece that we think any art collector would love.

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Movie Props and Other Novelty Sculptures and Statues

Here at bigbronze.com we like doing things that others won't. We like to think outside the box when it comes to sculpture. A lot of our bronze statues can't be found anywhere else. We often choose movie style memorabilia or famous faces we think could look good in a certain setting. As pictured above, we've done the idol from Indiana Jones, the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts, and a Mohammed Ali. If you'd like a movie prop or memorabilia but don't see it anywhere, contact us! We can make it into a real work of art for you.

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Bronze Custom Order Statues Sculptures

We're working on 3 custom bronze sculptures for an installation designed by an artist in Canada. Each piece is being done to his exact specifications. We often do custom work to accomodate people's needs. Our bronze sculptures are created by self taught artisans that take great pride in their work. We can custom make any type of piece in any style. Animals, children, memorial busts, and mascots are many of the types of custom pieces that get made.