Fading Bronze Patinas

[Shayla]

Tonight I drove by a favorite local statue and noticed
that the colored patina has faded. The artist once told
me that they have to re-patina (re-patinate?) it every
several years, and I've always thought how lucky we
are to have a foundry nearby.

But now I'm wondering about the people who buy bronzes
from galleries for their private collections. It seems that
any with colored patinas would also fade if exposed to
sunlight, and I wonder how that's handled. Just tossing
it out here to see what folks have to say.

 

[Luddite]

I think the problem is more weather and temp fluctuations than sunlight. Bronzes benifit from periodic waxing with paste wax.I spent a week at a foundry in PA.and learned a lot of stuff. Those patinas are chemicals that are put on with a brush on the bronze while very hot. the piece is heated with a blowtorch and the chemical is brushed on,sometimes in layers. cool process. L.