Bronze has been one of the most popular metals on the planet for hundreds if not thousands of years. The metal is lightweight, strong, and easy to work with, as well as abundant with an attractive appearance that doesn’t succumb to the elements as easily as other metals. This is why using bronze for sculptures has always been so popular.

Sculptors found long ago that bronze was ideal due to the actual chemistry of the metal. Of course, sculpting a metal statue or figure isn’t like woodwork. You cannot simply whittle away the material with a sharp utensil. Instead, a mold must be made and the metal must be poured in. Bronze expands before it sets, allowing every last detail to be seen in the finished product.

For individuals looking to purchase an original gift for themselves or their family or friends, a personal bronze portrait sculpture makes for the ultimate gift. Not only is a personal sculpture wholly gratifying, lifelike and lavish, but it’s also an affluent gift. Bronze is not a cheap metal. It’s an alloy consisting of 90% copper and 10% tin.

When dealing with customized bronze sculptures, size truly does matter. Various sculptures can be purchased, anywhere from the size of chess pieces or your palm, all the way up to life-sized and larger – see the Statue of Liberty for a perfect example of what copper and bronze metals can produce.

Obviously, no one is going to commission a statue quite as big as Liberty, but having a smaller sculpture commissioned for your loved ones makes for one unforgettable gift. Until recently, this type of sculpture was something reserved for only the rich and royal of the world. With many sculptors available today, the gift isn’t quite as exclusive as it once was.

How do you give someone a bronze portrait sculpture without them knowing about it beforehand? This isn’t like the olden days where a person would have to sit for hours in the studio and pose or even show up to have a cast made with their real face. A bronze sculpture today can be made from detailed photos and accurate measurements.

The first step in the process is deciding exactly how big you want the sculpture to be. You can get a bust of an individual or their full body, or any type of pet, personal item, etc. When you send in the photos and measurements of the person or thing you want sculpted, a team of artists begin creating a lifelike mold.

Technology has also helped out in this process. Computer programming can help an artist to create a mold with every pore of a person’s face in the correct place. After the mold is finished, the bronze is poured in. As it sets, the bronze expands and captures every minute detail.

The bronze figure is then carefully examined, touched up and finally polished to a brilliant finish before it’s ready to sit in the recipient’s area of choice. They’re not exactly inexpensive gifts, but they’re certainly one of a kind.