Early bronze was made by dissolving arsenic in molten copper. This arsenical bronze was first produced around 4,000 B.C. It provided advantages over iron, as it was resistance to rust and was less brittle.
Decoration was among the earliest uses of bronze. Temples and other public buildings were decorated with bronze accents. This practice was common throughout Asia (especially China) and the Middle East, as well as in early European cultures and in ancient Greece. Still, bronze remained primarily a material used to craft tools until the early part of the Renaissance.
As a sculptural medium bronze became very popular in the fourteenth century, especially in Italy. As the period that would become known as the Renaissance began, bronze was one of several mediums that artists turned to with renewed interest.
Renaissance sculptors who chose to work in bronze found several distinct advantages. Unlike marble or stone, which are brittle, bronze could be cast in shapes that required less structural support. This meant that figures could be rendered in action poses rather than simply standing or sitting. Additionally, the physical properties of bronze made it expand during cooling. This allowed sculptors to construct molds with intricate details that the cooling bronze would expand to fill, leading to more detailed and precise sculptures.
Many Renaissance artists are noted for their work in bronze. Among them is Benvenuto Cellini, whose work with other metals such as silver and gold eclipsed his bronzes. Donatello brought renewed interest to bronze sculpture with his famous image of David, cast in the 1440s. Lorenzo Ghiberti is known not for bronze figures but rather for his bronze engravings and decorative casts that adorned doorways and other architectural elements.
During the late Renaissance, sculptors such as Giovanni Da Bologna (who worked in marble and bronze exclusively) built upon the work done by their predecessors to bring an even more lifelike quality to their bronzes, achieving much of the era's desire for increased realism in all art.
Following the Renaissance bronze continued to be a popular medium for sculptors. French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux became a leading artist in the ornate baroque style. This art often incorporated religious themes and expressive figures that were not necessarily made to replicate the human form as it appears in reality.
In the nineteenth century, English sculptor Sir Alfred Gilber became known for his bronze figures and decorations made for Piccadilly Circus, which came to represent the trend of "New Sculpture." Bronze works figured prominently in this movement of artists preoccupied with returning sculpture to a naturalistic, rather than expressive, form.
Modern art became yet another movement to make use of bronze sculpture. Working in the twentieth century, sculptors such as Henry Moore and David Ascalon produced abstract bronzes that were placed in public spaces and sculpture gardens. Some of these works were about the material of bronze itself, showing how various chemical processes and the effects of climate and weather affected the color and texture of the surface. Others were studies in pure form, creating bronze compositions that relied on visual tension and rhythm to be aesthetically interesting.