The Holy Family

Original: Princely Family Lichtenstein, Vaduz Castle. A typical work of the German late baroque, original 1730 - 1740, ivory. Polymer ars mundi museum replica, cast by hand. Size 10 x 13 cm.

Epochal term for the art of the 17th century. The Baroque style of art, which originated in Rome around 1600, permeated visual arts, literature and music practically all over Europe within a very short period of time and lasted until 1770 in the visual arts. The last phase is generally characterised by Rococo.

Characteristic features include: the pulsating movement of all forms, the abolition of boundaries between architecture, painting and sculpture, that resulted in the epoch typical "Gesamtkunstwerk" ("total work of art"), and especially the purposeful use of light, which became an important artistic component. The subordination of the individual parts to the whole resulted in the creation of a unified and, at the same time, dynamic space, which is fully expressed in the magnificent buildings of this period.

The Baroque art, with its penchant for grandeur, splendour and rushing abundance, clearly reflects the desire for representation, which was a concern of secular and ecclesiastical, especially the Catholic, patrons of the time, who were strengthened by the Counter-Reformation. In painting, characteristic features of the Baroque, are manifested in the altar and ceiling painting, history and portrait.

Typical representatives include artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens as well as Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the field of sculpture.

Collective term for all casting processes that ars mundi carries out with the help of specialised art foundries.

Stone casting
Similar to artificial marble, with the difference that the substitute stone in powder form is used instead of marble powder.

Bonded Bronze (Cold-Cast-Bronze)
Bronze powder is polymer-bonded. Special polishing and patination techniques give the surface of the casting an appearance similar to the bronze.

Imitation Wood
In order to guarantee absolute fidelity to the original, an artificially manufactured imitation wood is used as a base material that features typical wood characteristics: density, workability, colour and surface structure.

Ceramic Mould Casting
Ceramic mould casting usually requires the use of casting clay, which is then fired and optionally glazed. Instead of the usual rubber moulds, plaster moulds are often used in ceramic casting and porcelain production.

Cast Bronze (Lost-Wax Casting)
For the cast bronze, the thousand-year-old lost-wax technique is used. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.

A sculptural technique where the artwork is cut in from a stone or wooden surface and not modelled.

There are different degrees of relief depending on the degree of projection. The range includes low relief/bas-relief and high relief. The sunk relief is a common form of reliefs in Ancient Egypt, in which the depicted scenes were cut into the stone or wood surface.

Among the most famous reliefs are the works of the Florentine master Lorenzo Ghiberti. Among other artworks, he created the pair of gilded bronze doors of the Baptistery in Florence, called by Michelangelo the "Gates of Paradise".

A true-to-the-original reproduction of an artwork in the same size and with the best possible material and colour uniformity.

The mould is usually taken directly from the original so that the replication reproduces even the finest details. After casting the replication, using the most appropriate method, the surface is polished, patinated, gilded or painted according to the original.

A replication of ars mundi is a recognizable copy of the original.

A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.

While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.

The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.

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