The Process Used to Create Some of the World’s Most Enduring Sculptures | How To Tell If a Remington Is Authentic
Unless you’ve lived under a rock your whole life, it’s likely that you’ve seen a reproduction of the work of American painter, illustrator, writer and sculptor Frederic Remington. His work entitled Coming Through the Rye (also known as Off The Range), with four horsemen in full gallop and no horse’s hooves seemingly touching the ground, is ubiquitous. One of the original castings, measuring just 30 inches tall, sold at auction in 2017 for more than $11 million. Some of his works have been cast to life size and even larger, adorning parks and private residences nationwide.
Remington started his artistic career as a painter (and has many works that are well-known and revered). In fact, it wasn’t until he was nearly 40, around 1900, that he began to dabble in sculpture, particularly in a process called “lost wax casting.” It was with this method that he achieved his greatest and most lasting fame.
What Is Lost Wax Casting?
With lost wax casting, a process that has been known for nearly six millennia, the artist first creates a model of his or her work in wax, then builds a mold (usually of plaster) around it. The mold is then heated, so that the wax melts, leaving a cavity to be filled by liquid metal, such as bronze. Once the alloy has been poured and has cooled, the mold is removed. The sculptor can then finish the piece.
How Do You Know If a Remington Is Authentic?
During his lifetime, Remington personally created molds for 22 different subjects. Unfortunately, because records were poorly kept, there is uncertainty about how many actual statues were produced during his lifetime. After his death in 1909, his wife, Eva, retained copyrights to all his works and continued to cast them until her death in 1919. The copyrights expired in the 1960s, leading to a vast market of reproductions. Here are some tips on how to determine whether a Remington is an original, authorized cast or a fake:
- Is it bronze?—Remington only cast in bronze. A silver statue may be beautiful and worth a lot of money, but it’s not an original.
- Does it have a marble base?—If so, it’s bogus. Original Remington bronzes were never mounted on marble.
- How big is it?—Size definitely matters here. In fact, a difference of a fraction of an inch can signify an original or a fake.
- Is Remington’s name spelled correctly—You’d be surprised how many knockoffs have misspellings
