The Lost Wax Process of Bronze Casting
Appearing nearly six thousand years ago, this method of sculpting is a truly  lost art form.  First a sculpture is made in soft wax, then a rubber mold of the wax model is made.  From the rubber mold is created multiple wax impressions of the original.  Each wax impression is encased in a ceramic shell and placed in an oven; with temperatures exceeding fifteen hundred degrees, the wax melts rapidly.  The ceramic shell is packed in sand and molten bronze is poured into the shell.  When the bronze cools, the ceramic shell is broken.  The bronze casting is then finished with meticulous handwork to capture and enhance every detail of the original wax model.