The tuatara is a very ancient reptile
found only in New Zealand. Genetically it dates back more than 200 million
years to the time of the dinosaurs and, of the four living orders of all
known reptiles, the tuatara holds an entire order on its own.
Number 1 of the bronze Tuatara edition was presented to HRH Prince Philip in
his capacity as Patron of the World Wildlife Fund International. While on
holiday in the UK, friends of mine went to visit Windsor Castle and came
back with video footage showing the Tuatara on display in the Queen’s Gifts
and Royal Carriages Exhibition.
To get all the information needed to do
the sculpture, my wife Judith and I went to the Auckland Zoo where a very
obliging keeper of the tuatara, Mick Sibley, took a young one out of
its enclosure for us so it could be photographed from all angles. This same
tuatara had recently been handed in to the zoo after being found somewhere
on the streets in Otahuhu. Presumably it had escaped its captors who were
intending to sell it on the black market. Further help came from Dr. Brian
Gill at the Auckland Museum. For several minutes I stood over a tray of
evaporating formaldehyde with a large tuatara specimen laid out upside
down for me to record all the underside detail.
The original sculpture itself took hundreds of hours of exacting detailed
work and was fashioned from a black wax. Once it was completed, the fine art
foundry took over and from the wax sculpture made a master mould in silicone
rubber surrounded by a supporting plaster casing. A new wax casting is taken
from the master mould every time a bronze Tuatara is made. A second mould,
of heat-proof ceramic, is made over the wax casting and the wax is burned
out before molten bronze is poured in at around 1300 degrees Celsius. This
process, known as “Lost Wax”, is based on ancient technology dating back to
the Egyptian era.
To quote a collector:
I recently purchased two small bronzes from an artist in Australia. This got
me looking for bronzes in your neck of the woods and I came across yourself
and the tuatara bronze. After looking at hundreds of artists and bronzes in
Europe and North America, all sculpted and cast to a very high standard, for
me your bronze was far superior in detail and the subject matter is unique.
Many thanks, Garry. (Glasgow)
Dimensions: approximately 510mm x
230mm x 100mm (20" x 9" x 4")
The edition is limited to 250 numbered and signed castings.
Each bronze Tuatara weighs around four
kilograms and comes in its own presentation crate. The sculpture is
life-sized for an adult tuatara and is best displayed on a shelf, a coffee
table, or even the right spot on the floor. A small black leather pad is
fixed to the underside of each foot to protect furniture.
Price: $3,000 including delivery within New Zealand.
Bronzes are generally cast to order and take between four and six weeks to
complete.
Secure your order now with $1,000 deposit; balance payable when it is ready
to deliver.
Contact us to discuss other payment options.
