A Technical Examination of the Great Bronzes of the Museo Nazionale Romano

Creating large bronze statues is one of the boldest technological challenges faced by the makers of past material cultures. Investigation of these relatively uncommon artefacts relies on various methods such as visual observation, instrumental methods, and replica experiments. Most important is comparative observation, that is, observing the occurrence of a given technical feature in different statues. Having points of comparison is therefore crucial to investigate the technology of large bronze statuary. This paper aims at extending comparison possibilities by presenting and globally discussing the outcomes of the investigations that have taken place since the mid-1980s on the bronze statues of the Boxer at Rest and the Hellenistic Prince exhibited at the museum of Palazzo Massimo in Rome. Different aspects of the construction of the statues such as the preparation of the wax models, the casting sections, the welding, and the alloys are addressed. Whenever possible specific technical features are compared with similar ones observed in other statues. As often occurs in scientific research, a deeper knowledge of the artefacts has produced some answers and many additional questions.