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wax
wax. A malleable substance obtained from various animal, vegetable, and mineral sources, most commonly the matter secreted by bees as the material of honeycomb; when bleached and purified it can be used as a medium for sculpture. Since the 1830s, synthetic waxes, based on petroleum, have also been available. Wax has a long and varied history in sculpture, for it is widely available, extremely versatile, and has many advantageous qualities. It can be modelled, carved, or cast; it is easy and fairly clean to handle; it can readily be mixed with colouring matter (making it an excellent medium for naturalistic portraiture); ‘it is not subject to serious chemical or physical change, only shrinking and becoming slightly more brittle with age, it is not prone to fungal and insect attacks…it is easy to vary its consistency by the addition of hardeners, plasticizers, and solvents…It is a very tractable material permitting corrections, changes, or additions to the design at any stage. This makes it the ideal material for the production of sketch models for works finished in other materials’ ( E. J. Pyke, A Biographical Dictionary of Wax Modellers, 1973). However, it also has disadvantages. Compared with clay (see terracotta), the other material most often used for models, it is fairly expensive; it tends to become dirty, and it is easily broken or damaged by heat.
In addition to being employed by countless major sculptors to make preliminary models (several by Michelangelo survive, for example) and also as an essential part of bronze-casting by the ‘lost wax’ process (see cire-perdue), wax has been used since ancient times to produce finished works, particularly portraits and death masks. In the 18th century, exhibitions of waxworks (life-size, highly realistic figures of famous people, complete with real clothes and hair) became popular entertainments. Easily the most famous exponent of this kind of work was Marie Tussaud, née Grosholtz (b Strasbourg, 1 Dec. 1761; d London, 16 Apr. 1850), who, as well as producing casts from live people, made death masks of guillotined victims of the French Revolution. In 1802 she moved to England and toured for many years with an exhibition of her work until finding a permanent home for ‘Madame Tussaud's Waxworks’ in London in 1835. Initially it was located in Baker Street, and in 1884 (under her grandson's management) it moved to its present site in nearby Marylebone Road; some of her work can still be seen there. Other notable waxworks can be seen in London in the collection of royal funerary effigies at Westminster Abbey. Small portraits in wax were made in the Renaissance and became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries; they were mainly done as profile reliefs, paralleling the vogue for silhouettes. Among serious sculptors who have used wax as their preferred medium, Medardo Rosso stands out. The most famous artist to use the material exclusively was probably Gaetano Giulio Zumbo (b Syracuse, 1656; d Paris, 22 Dec. 1701), who worked in various Italian cities, particularly Florence. He specialized in macabre tableaux on themes of death, with grimly realistic depictions of decomposing bodies. He also pioneered the use of wax models as tools in anatomical demonstration. This aspect of his work was developed with extreme sophistication in Florence in the 18th century, most notably in the work of Clemente Susini (1754–1814), who worked for the natural history museum ‘La Specola’, opened in 1775; examples of his extraordinarily detailed life-size figures (and of Zumbo's work) can still be seen there. |
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IAN CHILVERS. "wax." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "wax." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-wax.html IAN CHILVERS. "wax." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-wax.html |
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wax
wax1 / waks/ • n. a sticky yellowish moldable substance secreted by honeybees as the material of honeycomb; beeswax. ∎ a white translucent material obtained by bleaching and purifying this substance and used for such purposes as making candles, modeling, and as a basis of polishes. ∎ a similar viscous substance, typically a lipid or hydrocarbon. ∎ earwax. ∎ inf. used in reference to phonograph records: he didn't get on wax until 1959. • v. [tr.] 1. cover or treat (something) with wax or a similar substance, typically to polish or protect it: I washed and waxed the floor. ∎ remove unwanted hair from (a part of the body) by applying wax and then peeling off the wax and hairs together. 2. inf. make a recording of: he waxed a series of tracks that emphasized his lead guitar work. DERIVATIVES: wax·er n. wax2 • v. [intr.] (of the moon between new and full) have a progressively larger part of its visible surface illuminated, increasing its apparent size. ∎ poetic/lit. become larger or stronger: his anger waxed. ∎ begin to speak or write about something in the specified manner: they waxed lyrical about the old days. PHRASES: wax and wane undergo alternate increases and decreases: companies whose fortunes wax and wane with the economic cycle. wax3 • n. [usu. in sing.] Brit., inf., dated a fit of anger: she is in a wax about the delay to the wedding. |
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"wax." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wax." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-wax.html "wax." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-wax.html |
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wax
wax substance secreted by glands on the abdomen of the bee and known commonly as beeswax; also various substances resembling beeswax. Waxes are mixtures comprising chiefly esters of monohydroxy alcohols, besides other esters and free fatty acids, free alcohols, and higher hydrocarbons. They differ from fats in that fats contain chiefly esters of glycerol. Waxes are generally harder and less greasy than fats, but like fats they are less dense than water and are soluble in alcohol and ether but not in water. Among the waxes derived from plants are carnauba wax, obtained from the leaves of a palm grown in Brazil, and candelilla wax, produced by a Mexican plant ( Euphorbia antisyphilitica ). Those of animal origin include wool wax, or lanolin, obtained from the surface of wool fibers and used in making certain creams, ointments, and soaps, in the processes of finishing and softening leather, and as an ingredient of some paints and varnishes; spermaceti , obtained from the sperm whale, and Chinese wax, which is deposited on certain trees in parts of Asia (especially China and India) by a species of scale insect. Mineral waxes include ozocerite and paraffin , both composed of hydrocarbons. Japan wax and bayberry (or myrtle) wax are composed chiefly of fats.
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"wax." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wax." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-wax.html "wax." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-wax.html |
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wax
wax Solid, insoluble substance of low melting point that is malleable and water-repellent. There are four types: animal, vegetable, mineral, and synthetic. The first two are simple lipids consisting of esters of fatty acids; mineral waxes include paraffin wax made from petroleum. Synthetic waxes are of diverse origins and include polyethenes. Waxes are used in the manufacture of lubricants, polishes, cosmetics, and candles, and to waterproof leather and coat paper.
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"wax." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wax." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-wax.html "wax." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-wax.html |
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Wax
415. Wax
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"Wax." -Ologies and -Isms. 1986. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Wax." -Ologies and -Isms. 1986. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505200426.html "Wax." -Ologies and -Isms. 1986. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505200426.html |
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wax
wax1 substance produced by bees to make the honeycomb; beeswax melted down, etc. (as used for sealing, superseded by a compound of lac, etc.). OE. wæx, weax = OS., OHG. wahs (Du. was, G. wachs), ON. vax :- Gmc. *waχsam, cogn. with OSl. voskŭ; ult. f. IE. *weg- weave.
Hence wax vb., waxen (-EN2) XIV; repl. OE. wexen, *wiexen. waxwork modelling in wax. XVII. |
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T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax.html T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax.html |
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wax
wax (in biology) Esters of fatty acids, usually having a protective function. Examples are the beeswax forming part of a honeycomb and the wax coating on some leaves, fruits, and seed coats, which acts as a protective water-impermeable layer supplementing the functions of the cuticle. The seeds of a few plants contain wax as a food reserve.
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"wax." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wax." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-wax.html "wax." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-wax.html |
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wax
wax2 grow OE.; become XII. OE. str. vb. weaxan = OS., OHG. wahsan (Du. wassen, G. wachsen), ON. vaxa, Goth. wahsjan (with -ja- in pres. stem):- Gmc. str. vb. f. *waχs- :- IE. *woks-, *aweks-, *auks-, *uks- repr. by Gr. aéxein, aúxein, auxánein increase, Skr. úkṣati grows, L. augēre increase.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax1.html T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax1.html |
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wax
wax Tablets of beeswax were used for writing purposes by both Assyrians and Romans, and by Zechariah for writing the name of John the Baptist (Luke 1: 63).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "wax." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "wax." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-wax.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "wax." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-wax.html |
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wax
wax3 (sl.) fit of anger. XIX. perh. evolved from a usage such as wax wroth (WAX2).
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax2.html T. F. HOAD. "wax." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wax2.html |
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wax
wax
•axe (US ax), Backs, Bax, fax, flax, lax, max, pax, Sachs, sax, saxe, tax, wax
•co-ax • addax • Fairfax • Ceefax
•Halifax • Telefax • Filofax • banjax
•Ajax
•pickaxe (US pickax) • gravlax
•gravadlax • poleaxe • toadflax
•parallax
•battleaxe (US battleax)
•minimax • climax • Betamax • anthrax
•hyrax
•borax, storax, thorax
•syntax • surtax • beeswax • earwax
•Berks, Lourenço Marques, Marks, Marx, Parks, Sparks
•annex, convex, ex, flex, hex, perplex, Rex, sex, specs, Tex, Tex-Mex, vex
•ibex • index • codex • tubifex
•spinifex • pontifex • Telex • triplex
•simplex • multiplex
•ilex, silex
•complex • duplex • circumflex • Amex
•annexe • Kleenex • apex • Tipp-Ex
•haruspex • perspex • Pyrex
•Durex, Lurex, murex
•Middlesex • unisex • Semtex • latex
•cortex, Gore-tex, vortex
•vertex • Jacques
•breeks, idée fixe, maxixe, Weeks
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"wax." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wax." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-wax.html "wax." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-wax.html |
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