Wax

Beeswax, and now synthetic wax, is used for sculpture because of its translucency, its ability to record fine details, and the ease with which it can be coloured. It was very suitable for portraits and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was used to make replicas of the human anatomy for use in medical schools. It is malleable and can be freely worked with the fingers and hot metal tools, making it popular for making models as in the lost-wax casting technique. It is also used as a protective coating on wood sculpture and can be coloured and brought to a high polish for bronze sculpture.

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