ORNAMENTAL WOODCARVER Patrick Damiaens: January 2024

Casting workshop of the Royal Museums of Art & History in Brussels
| Art & History Museum Brussels

Plaster sculptures, casts and bas-reliefs

Casting workshop of the Royal Museums of Art & History in Brussels

KMKG in Brussels

15 October 2023, it had been eight years since my last visit to the Royal Museum of Art and History's castings workshop in Brussels ( Now "Art & History Museum") , a well-established museum founded in the 19th century and this during the reign of King Leopold II. My very first visit to the workshop was in 1990, which I remember very well and have continued to return at regular intervals.

The Royal Museums of Art and History's casting workshop manages and commercially exploits a collection of some 5,000 casts of works of art dating from prehistory to the 18th century. Due to high demand, waiting times of up to two years are natural.

Specialised craftsmen and volunteers make each cast using ancient techniques, and that both in casting the casts and in patination. Take a look at that production process and the unique collection in the museum's catacombs.

By offering casts for sale, the studio also helps promote art. A selection of small specimens is in stock. Larger ones, such as busts, full-length statues and reliefs, can be ordered. Why not be charmed? I myself bought a print of the eye of Michelangelo's David that day. Price 54 euros. Plaster models are extremely important for the woodcarver, serving as examples or inspiration for carving ornaments in wood.