Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
bronzing
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quick Facts
Related Topics:
Pigment
coating
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

bronzing

art
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

bronzing, coating an object of wood, plaster, clay, or other substance to give it the colour and lustre of bronze. Dutch metal, an alloy of 80 percent copper and 20 percent zinc, is frequently used for bronzing. The metal is prepared as a thin foil and then powdered. This powder may be applied directly to objects that have been sized with a spirit lacquer or gold size, or the powder may be combined with spirit lacquer thinned with amyl acetate and the mixture painted on with a brush. Various shades of colour may be obtained chemically; the natural golden colour of Dutch metal can be heightened by applying spirit lacquer coloured with dragon’s blood, a resin obtained from plants.