Equestrian Bronze Statue Repair
This fine equestrian bronze by 18th and 18th century sculptor Ferdinado de Luca was severely damaged in a moving accident. It was bent to the side at the ankles, the tail was completely knocked off and the patina was damaged in multiple locations.
“Fred Archer on Bend Or” by Ferdinando de Luca.
Before: Bent sideways at the ankles
Before: The bronze tail - A thin casting by contemporary standards, that had been knocked off by blunt force.
After: All repairs complete.
After: The tail restored
The Repair Process
This type of bronze statue repair is straightforward but you have to do it correctly. Owens has special tools that allow him to carefully and very slowly bend a bronze like this so that you hit the target angle you want without having to bend it back in the opposite direction. The mission is to bend it only one time very, very slowly. This allows bronze atoms in layers of the crystalline molecular structure to more easily slide over other layers, which reduces the chance of cracking.
Once the bend was removed, the tail was welded on and Owens “chased” the surface with various tools to eliminate the weld bead and restore the hand-cut lines of hair that this piece is known for. Then the chemical patina was restored, because welding destroyed it in the area near the tail. That sounds simple enough, but patination is an art form in itself.
When the repair is done, the project is still not complete: You have to return the bronze to its owner. In this case, the piece was secured in a wood crate and delivered by a truck service to a residence in Alabama.