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bronze
bronze. An alloy consisting mainly of copper (usually about 90 per cent) and tin, often also containing small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. From Greek and Roman times it has been the metal most commonly used in cast sculpture, and it has also been employed for—among much else—bells, drinking vessels, mirrors, weapons, architectural ornament, and coins (‘copper’ coins are usually bronze). Its popularity and versatility come from its strength, its durability, its ability to take fine detail and lustrous polish, and the fact that it is easily workable—both hot and cold—by a variety of processes. It is easier to cast than copper because it has a lower melting point, and its great tensile strength gives it an advantage over marble sculpture, in which it is much more difficult to create unsupported parts (such as protruding limbs). However, making a large bronze figure is a complex industrial process, and Cellini has left a classic account of the difficulties he faced in casting his Perseus. The colour of bronze is affected by the proportion of tin or other metals present, varying from silverish to a rich, coppery red, and its surface beauty can be enhanced when it acquires a patina.
The word ‘bronze’ evidently did not enter the English language until the 18th century, and before then all copper alloys were commonly referred to as ‘brass’. The words still tend to be employed fairly loosely, sometimes even in serious art-historical writing, and without scientific examination it may indeed be impossible to tell whether bronze or brass has been used in a particular work. See also cire-perdue. |
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IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-bronze.html IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze in metallurgy, alloy of copper, tin, zinc, phosphorus, and sometimes small amounts of other elements. Bronzes are harder than brasses . Most are produced by melting the copper and adding the desired amounts of tin, zinc, and other substances. The properties of the alloy depend on the proportions of its components. Aluminum bronze has high strength and resists corrosion; it is used for bearings, valve seats, and machine parts. Leaded bronze, containing from 10% to 29% lead, is cast into heavy-duty bushings and bearings. Silicon bronze is used for telegraph wires and chemical containers. Phosphor bronze is used for springs. Bronze is used for coins, medals, steam fittings, and gunmetal and was formerly employed for cannon. Because of its particularly sonorous quality, bell metal, containing from 20% to 24% tin, is used for casting bells. Bronze has long been used in art, e.g., for castings, engravings, and forgings. |
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"bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bronz-met.html "bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bronz-met.html |
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bronze
bronze An alloy of copper (usually about 90 per cent) and tin, often also containing small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Since antiquity it has been the metal most commonly used in cast sculpture, because of its strength, durability, and the fact that it is easily workable—both hot and cold—by a variety of processes. It is easier to cast than copper because it has a lower melting point, and its great tensile strength gives it an advantage over marble sculpture, in which it is much more difficult to create unsupported parts (such as protruding limbs). The colour of bronze is affected by the proportion of tin or other metals present, varying from silverish to a rich, coppery red, and its surface beauty can be enhanced when it acquires a patina. See also cire perdue.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-bronze.html IAN CHILVERS. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze / bränz/ • n. a yellowish-brown alloy of copper with up to one-third tin. ∎ a yellowish-brown color: rich, gleaming shades of bronze. ∎ a work of sculpture or other object made of bronze. • adj. made of or colored like bronze: a bronze statue. • v. [tr.] (usu. be bronzed) make (a person or part of the body) suntanned: Alison was bronzed by outdoor life. ∎ give a surface of bronze or something resembling bronze to: the doors were bronzed with sculpted reliefs. DERIVATIVES: bronz·y adj. ORIGIN: mid 17th cent. (as a verb): from French bronze (noun), bronzer (verb), from Italian bronzo, probably from Persian birinj ‘brass.’ |
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"bronze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bronze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bronze.html "bronze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze Traditionally an alloy of copper and no more than 33% tin. It is hard and resistant to corrosion, but easy to work. It has long been used in sculpture and bell-casting. Other metals are often added for specific properties and uses, such as aluminium in aircraft parts and tubing, silicon in marine hardware and chemical equipment, and phosphorus in springs, gunmetal, and electrical parts.
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"bronze." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bronze." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-bronze.html "bronze." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-bronze.html |
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bronze
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "bronze." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "bronze." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-bronze.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "bronze." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze Bronze was harder than copper and came to replace it in weaponry. It also had a bright, shiny surface—hence the simile in Rev. 1: 15.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "bronze." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "bronze." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-bronze.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "bronze." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze XVIII. — F. — It. bronzo, of uncert. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bronze.html T. F. HOAD. "bronze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bronze.html |
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bronze
bronze in art: see bronze sculpture . |
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Cite this article
"bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-bronz-art.html "bronze." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-bronz-art.html |
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bronze
bronze
•banns, glans, Prestonpans, sans
•Octans
•Benz, cleanse, Fens, gens, lens
•Homo sapiens • impatiens • nolens volens • delirium tremens • Serpens
•vas deferens • Cairns • Keynes
•Jeans, means, Queens, smithereens
•Owens • Robbins • Rubens • gubbins
•Hitchens • O'Higgins
•Huggins, juggins, muggins
•imagines • Jenkins • Eakins • Dickens
•Wilkins • Hopkins
•Dawkins, Hawkins
•Collins • Gobelins • widdershins
•matins • Martens • Athens • avens
•Heinz • confines • Apennines
•bonze, bronze, Johns, mod cons, Mons, St John's
•Downs, grounds, hash-browns, Townes
•Jones, nones
•lazybones • sawbones • fivestones
•New Orleans, Orléans
•Lions, Lyons
•Gibbons • St Albans • Siddons
•shenanigans • Huygens • vengeance
•goujons • St Helens • Hollands
•Newlands • Brooklands • Netherlands
•Siemens • Symons • commons
•summons • Lorenz • Parsons
•Goossens
•Lamentations, United Nations
•Colossians • Sextans • Buttons
•Evans • Stevens • Ovens • Onions
•Lutyens
•Cousins, Cozens
•Burns
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Cite this article
"bronze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bronze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bronze.html "bronze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bronze.html |
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