Plaster – An artistic production in the Museum of Marble in Rance – Belgium

Abstract

The origin of the stone industry in Belgium goes back as far as the Roman occupation. The marble industry, with the oldest pieces of testimony, goes back to the 16th century. The marble workshops were located in the South of Belgium and even at this period the main customers were abroad: France, Britain and its Empire, in the States… The realization of a sculpture in natural stone, as the marble, asks rigor and method in direct link with the material because each small modification on the marble is permanent. The plaster cast is used as a reference point during the work and allows the transfer from the model in plaster to the marble. One of the most important workshops in Rance, worked for years to answer to the orders of sculptures of customers from the different countries. Most of the plaster casts, in connection with the large past work were discovered (recently) and offered at the museum.