From Pliny (xxxv. 2), wo learn that the Romans were in the habit of having wax images of themselves made, to be handed down to their posterity. Many writers notice and praise the custom. Valerius Maximus (v. 8. 3), alludes to the advantages of the practice by virtue of example. It was Indeed a privilege to which only some were entitled. None could make them but those who had themselves, or whose ancestors had, borne some curule magistracy. Cicero speaks of the right of handing down your image to posterity. The number of ancestral images therefore became an object of prole and an evidence of ancient nobility, and the antiquity of a family was sometimes expressed by applying the epithet smoky to Its images, " fumoaas imagines." (Cicero Vera' vi. 14.; in ' Pisonem,' 1. ; and De Leg. Agtar: ii. 1.) The most striking passage concerning these images is in Polyhius (vi. 52), who as a Greek and a stranger would be more impressed by so peculiar a customer ho describes. Ile says," Upon solemn foetivals, these images are uncovered, and adorned with the greatest care. And when any other person of the same family dies, they are carried also in the funeral procession, with a body added to the bust, that the repre sentation may be just, even with regard to size. They arc dressed likewise in the habits that belong to the ranks which they severally filled when they were alive. If they were consuls or praetors, in a gown bordered with purple ; if censor's, in a purple robe; and if they triumphed or obtained any similar honour, in a vest embroidered with gold. Thus apparelled they are drawn along in chariots preceded by the rods and axes, and other ensigns of their former dignity. And when they arrive at the forum, they are all seated upon chairs' of ivory; and then exhibit the noblest object that can be offered to a youthful mind warmed with the have of virtue and of glory." This wax-modelling has continued apparently from the time of the Romans until the present day. In the middle ages it was used for the images of saints and votive images. The first modeller however of this class noticed in the history of art is Orsino, the contemporary of Andrea del Verrocchio, in the middle of the 15th century. Vaseri represents Orsine as a wax-modeller (ceraiuolo) of good repute iu Florence, and that he attained, through the advice of Verrocchio, the highest excellence in his art. Verroochio and Orsino made some interesting figures together, of which three of Lorenzo de' Medici aro worthy of especial notice : they are described by Vasari as something remarkable. The conspiracy of the l'azzi in 1478 was the cause of the production of these figures : they were voted by his friends ina com memoration of his escape. Orsino made, under the direction of Verrocchio, three wax images of Lorenzo of the size of life. The framework or skeletons of these figures were made of wood and cane, and the heads, hands, and feet were cast in wax, of considerable thick ness, but hollow ; they were then furnished with hair and glass eyes, and painted in oil-colours to the exact imitation of life; and were draped in clothes which had been worn by Lorenzo ; to give the draperies a fixed character they were waxed. These figures were altogether no successful, says Vasari, that they appeared to be living. i One of them was placed in the church of the Monadic di Chiarito, in the Via di San Gallo; another in the Servitant church of the Annun ciation ; and the third in the church of Santa Maria degli Angell at Assisi In this Servitant church were many other wax figure. by Oraino, all of which were marked with an 0, in which was an It, and above it a cross; but they have all long since perished. Vasari adds that few works of later wax-modellers were to be compared with those of Oraino, and complains that the art had declined. A few years how. ever after the death of Vaaari, Jacopo Vivio distinguished himself by a model on slate, in coloured wax, of Michel An a Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. It was engraved by Ambrosio Brambilla, and a particular description of it was published in Rome in 1590---.' Discorso copra la mirabil opera di Basso-Miley(' di cera stuccata con colori, scolpita in pictra nera, da Jacopo Vivio." Two centuries' after Verrocchio, and one after Vasari, this art was very usefully and with the utmost skill applied by Gaetano Giulio Zummo, born at Syracuse In 1656, to the, preparation of anatomical models and pathological examples. Zunnue obtained a European celebrity for his two groups of figures representing the various stages of corruption of the human body and the effects of the plague. He modelled also an anatomical head at Paris, which is described in the 316moiree of the French Academy of Sciences, of 1701, the year of his death.
The first collection of anatomical preparations which was made for the purposes of science is that of the institute of Bologna, established by Benedict XIV. It was commenced under the direction of Ercole
Lelli, but the greater part of the preparations were made by Giovanni Manzolini of Bologna and his wife Anna Moraudi Manzoliui. 31auzoliui died at Bologna iu 1755, aged 55. There are some of his models in London and in many other cities of Europe. Anna 31anzolini obtained still greater celebrity than her husband : she executed all or the greater part of the obstetric models in the Stanza Ostetricia of the Institute which were prepared under the direction of Dr. Antonio Galli. She also gave public lectures on anatomy ill Bologna, illustrating her discourse by appropriate models. She died in 1774, aged 57. (Crespi, " Feleina Pittrice," where there are portraits of both the 3IanzolinL) There is a still more extensive and remarkable collection of wax anatomical models in the Museum of Natural History at Florence it was established by the Grand-Duke Leopoldo, and occupies fifteen chambers. It contains the worlus of various artists, but the principal contributors to its treasures were, Felice Foutana and Clemeute Sunni The works of the earlier modellers in wax are set apart in a chamber by themselves : hero are some of the models of Zummo, among which is one showing the whole anatomy of the human head, similar probably to the one made at Paris.
The Muses Dnpuytrcn at Paris Is celebrated for its morbid epeci mens; it is perhaps the richest pathological collection in the world.
It was purchased by the University of Paris, of the heirs of + Dupuytren, tho celebrated anatomist. Most of the principal cities of Europe have now their collections, and some of them very fine ones, and good wax-modellers are numerous.
In this department of modelling none hut the purest wax is used, which is the case also in all works where the wax is the final substance of the work. Different modellers use different compositions; and some allowance must be made for hot and cold weather,as what would be well adapted for summer weather might be too brittle for winter use. Some modellers use simply wax and a small proportion of Venetian turpentine ; others wax, resin, common turpentine, and a little olive-oil ; the wax being at least two-thirds of the whole compo sition. It is seldom if ever used pure, as in all objects to be modelled whi e or some colour must predominate : for instance in modelling the brain, white in powder must be mixed in the composition, and the same respect must be had with regard to the predominant colour of every object to be modelled.
No strict rules can be given for the process of modelling, as each modeller will soon acquire methods of his own, and generally speaking artists of this class object to disclose their peculiar processes, imagining it to be detrimental to their interests. However, we may speak of general principles. Nearly all wax models are cast from moulds, and the casts only in some cases require the assistance of modelling : these moulds are generally taken from the objects themselves, either in plaster of Paris or in a composition of bees'-wax, Burgundy pitch, and Venice turpentine, with a very small quantity of olive-oil. The advantage of this latter composition is, that even when cold, if pro perly mixed, the mould is elastic) or flexible; and if made thin, when cut on the edges can be peeled off the cast in pieces without any danger to the cast : in taking moulds in plaster of Paris, the object moulded must sometimes be destroyed to render the mould available. Gelatine is now sometimes employed for making elastic moulds. Bound objects must be moulded in two or more parts. Sometimes when the object is cast in the mould, the mould must be destroyed before the cast can be removed, and in destroying the mould there is danger of destroying the cast also; the elastic mould therefore has great advantages in such cases over the plaster mould. When only one view of an object is presented, and it is only slightly convex, the planter mould is quite sufficient, except the object itself, as the brain, presents a very uneven and delicate surface. When the cast is to be taken from the plaster mould, the mould must be moist with water, but not absolutely wet, or the water would injure the very delicate surface, which occurs in some pathological cases the mould may be moistened by allowing it to stand with the interior or face uppermost in a dish of water, when it will soon absorb sufficient moisture for the purpose. The mould must not be oiled when any delicate work is to be done, as the oil will dissolve the surface of the wax, and thus perhaps counteract the principal aim of the cast. The wax composi tion mould must be slightly touched with a soft hair-tool with oil, to enable it to peel sway afterwards without the slightest danger to the east : being of a perfectly smooth surface, the small quantity of oil it retains is immaterial.