Definitions for "Cire perdue"
Keywords:  bronze, wax, plaster, mould, lost
"Lost wax," a technique for making sculpture in which a model is carved in wax, encased in a plaster mold and heated so that the wax melts and runs out. The mold is then filled with molten casting bronze. When cool, the mold is broken to release the sculpture. Often used by sculptors working in bronze, this technique was sometimes used by René Lalique for glass casting. Lalique cire perdue pieces are unique.
Lost wax: a bronze-casting technique of filling the space between the core and the mould after the core's wax coating has been melted away.
(French "lost wax") A casting technique in which a model is first made of wax, which is then enclosed in a clay and plaster mould. The wax is melted out through a vent, and molten metal - usually bronze - is run in to replace it. To cast a hollow object it is necessary to insert a core of burnt clay, so that the wax occupies the thin surrounding space between this and the mould.