The reader, 1887,
bronze with ivory face and hands
h 58.5 cm
Presented anonymously to Leeds Art Collections Fund, 1966
Combining different materials, such as bronze and ivory, was
particularly fashionable for decorative sculpture in the late
19th/early 20th centuries. This figure is bronze, with ivory face and
hands. However, this combination of materials poses problems in terms
of their conservation needs, as bronze and ivory prefer different
environmental conditions to best preserve them. Whilst bronze prefers
drier conditions, this is highly unsuitable for ivory, which becomes
brittle and can crack. More humid conditions are unacceptable for
bronze, which is prone to rust if the atmosphere is to moist. A
balance has always to be achieved.
