Authors

Gileva Kseniya A.
FERDINAND BARBEDIENNE’S BRONZE FOUNDRY PRODUCTS AND URAL MEAL CASTING ART. ON THE ATRIBUTION OF URAL CAST-IRON ARTWORKS

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №3 (71) September, 2020

The study discusses the attribution of several Ural cast-iron artworks. The authors of the model range of metal castings from Kasli and Kusa factories are still the least researched in Russian art history and, thus, the study appears to be very timely. The article considers connections between the model range of the Urals plants and the famous French bronze foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne. Castings available on the antiques market and in Russian museum collections are analyzed comparatively. New names of authors of Ural metal casting models are introduced into scholarship.

Gileva Kseniya A.
KASLI CAST-IRON SCULPTURE. CURRENT STATUS, DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №4 (68) December, 2019

The article is devoted to one of the largest artwork producers in the Urals - the Kasli factory, and to the current status of Ural cast-iron sculpture. Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the factory repeatedly changed its name and ownership between being private and public. Currently, besides the oldest factory, Kasli Plant of Art Castings (now owned by Mechel Corporation), there are several other private manufacturers on the market operating under the brand of “Kasli Castings”. Increasing demand and fashion for Ural cast-iron artworks and, thus, growing prices on the market of antiques have become the reason why private foundries have also been operating on the market since the 1990s, specializing in the counterfeiting of such artworks. The art forgery market is constantly changing in terms of both quality and choice of direction. Thus, in recent years, rare castings from the 1930s have become popular. Modern materials and technological innovations enable the manufacturers to produce high-quality castings. On the other hand, the educational pitfall of the 1990-2000s has led to an acute shortage of skilled personnel.