Bronze in Art and Design: The Enduring Allure of a Timeless Medium

126 products

126 products
Palatial Napoleon III gilt bronze and glass chandelier showcasing intricate artistry by Collection NI10 in classic French style
Close-up of Palatial Napoleon III gilt bronze and glass chandelier by Collection NI10 showcasing intricate craftsmanship
Palatial Napoleon III Gilt Bronze and Glass Chandelier
Collection NI10
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Pair of ornate Samson porcelain vases with gilt bronze mounts and polychrome enamel, sold by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Pair of Samson vases with polychrome enamel and gilt bronze mounts by Nicholas Wells Antiques, France circa 1890
Pair of Important Samson Vases With Gilt Bronze Mounts
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Gilt bronze Blue John Center Table with radiating Blue John top and ornate gilt bronze pedestal base with paw feet.
Gilt bronze Blue John Center Table top in radiating circles with blue John and lemon spa veneer, 19th-century English design.
Gilt bronze Blue John Center Table
Collection CK30
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17th century Italian Baroque cabinet with lapis lazuli and agate inlays, ebony exterior by Nicholas Wells Antiques
17th century Italian Baroque ebony cabinet by Nicholas Wells Antiques with geometric tortoiseshell inlay and lion claw feet
17th Century Italian Cabinet
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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19th century Meiji period silvered bronze eagle sculpture with 110cm wingspan suspended by chains from Nicholas Wells Antiques
Suspended 19th century Japanese Meiji silvered bronze eagle by Nicholas Wells Antiques with wings spread wide in flight
19th Century Japanese Meiji Period Silvered Bronze Eagle
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Pair of bronze sculptures Apollino and Mercury by Massimiliano Soldani Benzi, Italy, circa 1720, 32.5 cm tall.
Massimiliano Soldani Benzi bronzes Apollino and Mercury, Italy circa 1720, standing male figures with classical attributes.
Massimiliano Soldani Benzi
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Pair of Russian Gilt Bronze 5 Light Candelabra
Collection CK10
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Pair Of Louis XVI Gilt Bronze Wall Appliques - Jean-Charles Delafosse
Collection CK10
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Pair of early 19th century Empire bronze and Napoleonite Medici Borghese vases on orbicular diorite bases Collection EE20
Pair of early 19th century bronze Medici and Borghese vases on orbicular diorite bases by Collection EE20
Pair of Bronze and Napoleonite Medici / Borghese Vases
Collection EE20
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Grand Tour Breche Sanguine & Gilt Bronze Mounted Navicella, rare 19th-century marble Roman galley sculpture with gilded mounts.
Grand Tour Breche Sanguine & Gilt Bronze Mounted Navicella, 19th century marble sculpture of Roman Galley on ornate plinth.
Grand Tour Breche Sanguine & Gilt Bronze Mounted Navicella
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Finely Carved Alabaster Cockatoo Sculpture perched on a bronze tree trunk with detailed feathers and elegant pose
Finely Carved Alabaster Cockatoo Sculpture with detailed feathers on stylised bronze tree trunk stand circa 1900.
Finely Carved Alabaster Cockatoo Sculpture
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Late 19th-century French mantel clock by Nicholas Wells Antiques with white marble, gilt bronze, and a bronze lady figure reading.
Elegant late 19th-century French mantel clock with gilt bronze and white marble by Nicholas Wells Antiques.
A Fine French Neo Classical Mantel Clock
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Regency Gilt and Bronze Dishlight
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Napoleon III black marble clock set with gilt bronze neo-classical busts and urns by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Napoleon III black marble and gilt bronze clock with white enamel face by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Napoleon III Black Marble and Gilt Bronze Clock Set
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Bacchanalian Bronze Faun After Soldani antique bronze sculpture of a faun with detailed muscular form circa 1800
Bacchanalian Bronze Faun After Soldani antique bronze sculpture showing detailed upper torso and drapery close-up.
Bacchanalian Bronze Faun After Soldani
Collection CK40
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Pair of Sicilian red jasper and gilt bronze urns by Nicholas Wells Antiques, French neo-classical 19th century design
Pair of Sicilian Red Jasper Covered Gilt Bronze Urns
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Giambologna Late Renaissance bronze walking bull sculpture, Italy circa 1650, detailed and antique decorative art piece.
Giambologna
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Gilt bronze and marble clock garniture with cherub and candelabra by Nicholas Wells Antiques circa 1870 France
Gilt bronze cherub clock on rouge marble column with gilt accents by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Gilt Bronze, Bronze and Marble Clock Set Garniture
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Pietra Dure Specimen Marble and Bronze Table with 65 rare marbles and stones, 19th-century ornate circular design.
Pietra Dure Specimen Marble and Bronze Table with 65 rare marble and precious stone inlays, 19th century design.
Pietra Dure Specimen Marble and Bronze Table
Collection CK30
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Bronze Bust of Lysimachus Grand Tour depicting a detailed antique sculpture on a round base from circa 1800.
Bronze Bust of Lysimachus Grand Tour depicts the ancient ruler with detailed features and textured hair on a pedestal base.
Bronze Bust of Lysimachus | Grand Tour | After the Antique
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Pair of Louis XVI gilt bronze cassolettes with berry finials by Nicholas Wells Antiques, France circa 1780.
Close-up of gilt bronze Bacchus mask detail on Louis XVI cassolettes by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Pair of Louis XVI gilt bronze cassolettes
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Restauration gilt-bronze vase with rams’ heads and grapevine details on square plinth by Collection EE20
Restauration gilt-bronze vase with rams’ heads and grapevine swags on a gadrooned socle by Collection EE20
Restauration Gilt-Bronze Vase
Collection EE20
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Set of four large scale Sindh bronze pots from Collection EE10, circa 1900, with detailed patterns on a black background
Set of four large antique Sindh bronze pots from Collection EE10, featuring intricate designs and wide openings.
A Set of Four Large Scale Sindh Bronze Pots
Collection EE10
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Dalí Melting Watch Bronze Sculpture 42/300 limited edition circa 1980 bronze melting clock art piece.
Dalí Melting Watch Bronze Sculpture 42/300, limited edition bronze melting clock circa 1980 with distorted numbers.
Dalí Melting Watch Bronze Sculpture 42/300
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Carrier-Belleuse bronze sculpture depicting allegory of hunting and fishing, French art circa 1865, 55 cm tall including base.
Carrier-Belleuse bronze sculpture Allegory of Hunting and Fishing, detailed textured garments, circa 1865, France.
Carrier-Belleuse
Nicholas Wells Antiques
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Fine gilt bronze antique mantel clock by Société des Bronzes de Paris offered by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Fine gilt bronze antique mantel clock by Société des Bronzes de Paris, sold by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Fine Gilt Bronze Antique Mantel Clock by Société des Bronzes de Paris
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Bronze mask of a Satyr Fountain Head with curled horns and detailed face, Italian, patinated bronze, circa 1800.
Bronze mask of a Satyr Fountain Head with curled horns and detailed facial features, patinated bronze, Italy circa 1800.
Bronze mask of a Satyr Fountain Head
Nicholas Wells Antiques
A Pair Of Bronze Cherubs On Marble Bases, 18th-century Flemish sculptures of cherubs with musical and oyster shell details.
A Pair Of Bronze Cherubs On Marble Bases, 18th-century Flemish sculptures of cherubs with instrument and oyster shell.
A Pair Of Bronze Cherubs On Marble Bases
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Rare Italian Gilt Bronze Metal Girandole Mirror with ornate scrolls and anthemion design, circa 1750, 94x61 cm.
Rare Italian Gilt Bronze Metal Girandole Mirror with ornate scrolls and candle holder, circa 1750, finely beveled mirror plate.
Rare Italian Gilt Bronze Metal Girandole Mirror
Collection TH30
Empire Gilt Bronze Torchere Candle Stand with fluted column, foliate details, and paw feet, circa 1850 French design.
Empire Gilt Bronze Torchere Candle Stand with fluted column and hairy paw feet, classic French design circa 1850 next to wooden chest.
Empire Gilt Bronze Torchere Candle Stand
Collection CK40
Pair of Bronze Orientalist Candelabra by Charles Cumberworth
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Pair of 19th-century bronze and gilt classical vases with Greek male figures, offered by Nicholas Wells Antiques.
Pair of Bronze and Gilt Classical Vases By Barbedienne
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Pair of bronze cherub groups playing with a monkey and dog, holding garlands and feeding grapes, circa 1700.
Pair of bronze cherub groups depicting cherubs playing with a dog and monkey, holding garlands and grapes.
Pair of bronze cherub groups
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Bronze Empire Column Lamps pair with finely chased gilt bronze details, 19th century French design, 63 cm height.
Bronze Empire Column Lamps featuring finely chased gilt bronze details, 19th century, wired for electricity, 63 cm height.
Bronze Empire Column Lamps
Collection CK40
Large French champlevé enamel and gilt bronze centerpiece bowl on white onyx by Nicholas Wells Antiques circa 1900
Close-up of a French champlevé enamel and gilt bronze centerpiece bowl by Nicholas Wells Antiques circa 1900
French Champleve Enamel Bronze Centerpiece Bowl
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Early 19th century gilt bronze mantel clock with Cupid and Psyche by Nicholas Wells Antiques, France circa 1820
Early 19th century gilt bronze mantel clock with Cupid and Psyche figures by Nicholas Wells Antiques
Early 19th century Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock – Cupid and Psyche
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Alabastro Stalactite Gilt Bronze Mounted Pedestal Column in reddish marble with gold bronze detailing for display use.
Alabastro Stalactite Gilt Bronze Mounted Pedestal Column with intricate stone top for displaying antiques and decorative objects.
Alabastro Stalactite Gilt Bronze Mounted Pedestal Column
Collection CK40
A pair of 17th century Italian gilt bronze baroque picture frames by Nicholas Wells Antiques with ornate scroll details
A pair of 17th Century Gilt Bronze picture frames
Nicholas Wells Antiques
19th-century gilt bronze Ottoman mantle clock with seated lady, floral and pagoda details by Nicholas Wells Antiques
19th-century gilt bronze Ottoman mantle clock featuring a seated lady, from Nicholas Wells Antiques.
A Gilt Bronze Ottoman Mantle Clock
Nicholas Wells Antiques
Bronze Oval Centre Table with polished Alabastro Fiorito top and gilt bronze oval base, Art Deco style, France circa 1930.
Bronze Oval Centre Table with polished bookmatched Alabastro Fiorito top and gilt patinated bronze base, Art Deco style.
Bronze Oval Centre Table
Collection CK40

Bronze, a copper-based alloy typically blended with tin, has been a cornerstone of artistic and functional design for millennia. Its relatively low melting point and excellent casting qualities made it the medium of choice for sculptors, artisans, and metalworkers from ancient civilisations to modern ateliers.

Material Qualities

Celebrated for its durability and resistance to corrosion, bronze has shaped weapons, tools, coins, musical instruments, and — most enduringly — fine art. One of its defining characteristics is its capacity to develop a patina: a surface layer formed through oxidation and environmental exposure. Far from diminishing the material, patination enriches it — transforming golden surfaces into shades of green, brown, and black, and lending objects a depth and gravitas that artists and collectors have long prized.

Bronze in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Bronze enjoyed a renewed prominence during the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly among European elites on the Grand Tour. Leading foundries such as Barbedienne in Paris and Chiurazzi in Naples produced exquisitely cast sculptures after the antique, admired for their crisp detail and cultivated patinas. These patinated surfaces elevated reproductions into works of art in their own right, balancing scholarly reference with aesthetic refinement.

Bronze in the Decorative Arts

Beyond sculpture, bronze played a central role in the decorative arts. Nowhere is this more evident than in ormolu — gilt-bronze mounts and embellishments adorning Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture, clocks, and porcelain. Using the demanding technique of mercury gilding, artisans produced mounts of dazzling brilliance and razor-sharp chased detail. Over time, their gilded surfaces mellowed with patina, prized as much for their aged authenticity as for their original opulence.

Legacy

From ancient ritual vessels to neoclassical statuary and gilded interiors, bronze has remained both a practical material and an artistic medium. Its enduring appeal lies not only in its strength but in the evolving surface that tells the story of centuries — a testament to tradition, craftsmanship, and transformation.
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