|| Bronze, an alloy of Copper and Tin (80:20) first appeared in the near east toward the end of the 4th millennium B. C. There exists no record of where the lost wax method of casting was invented.||

|| The earliest users of this method began with a wax core roughly in the shape of the subject to be sculpted. The core was then covered with clay. The entire object was then fired, hardening the clay and melting the wax. The space vacated by the wax was then filled with molten bronze. When the bronze cooled and hardened, the clay was removed from the outside. The bronze statue was then cleaned and polished by hand.||

|| The basic principle of the lost wax method of casting remains unchanged, although many new techniques and refinements have been developed. The most significant development was the introduction of an intermediate mold from which multiple wax models are made.||

|| Cast Bronze is a permanent medium. Archeologist have unearthed bronze artifacts buried for thousands of years.||

|| Bronze casting however flourished as early as AD 850, patronized by the Chola dynasty of South India. The bronzes of the Chola period are world famous and are held in highest esteem by antique collectors. The unique distinction of the Chola style bronzes is the intricately sculpted statue with fine details of every garment fold and ornament design. The striking feature of all the bronze statues is the Aryan features (refined north Indian features with a straight, proud nose, a high forehead and linearly carved lips) borne by the deities and the Dravidian features (short stature, curly hair, stubby nose and pouting lips) given to the demons that are being destroyed by them.||

|| SACRED ART traced the art to its origin in the dusty, inaccessible rural hamlets of south India. Dedicatedly working in perhaps not the best of conditions, with constraints of financial aid, electricity or any modern amenities are some of the world’s most gifted artists. Covered in the rustic backdrop of their surroundings, these gifts to humanity will fade in oblivion if not patronized. Needless to say some of them are National award winners for their exquisite art, but without due encouragement and patronization, the world will be poorer without these craftsmen and their rich cultural heritage. ||