The mechanical process of sculptural reproduction occupies a central position within artistic practice and the broader context of machine culture. This intersection of art and technology, rooted in the Renaissance ideal of the 'uomo universale,' experienced a programmatic revival among nineteenth-century sculptors who embraced earlier pointing technologies into their artistic practice. Technically skilled artists collaborated with engineers to create machines for the reproduction of sculpture, while the proliferation of machine-based serial production assumed increasing importance, fostering the mass consumption of reproductions in various sizes and materials, and leaving its mark not only on social realities and the arts, but also on the artistic canon.
In 1755, Johann Joachim Winckelmann was the first to address the transition from the early modern 'finitorium' to the pointing system of the French Academy in Rome, before references to tools and measuring practices emerged in the second half of the eighteenth century, exemplified by Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopédie. By the turn of the century, sculptors were experimenting with and systematically using pointing machines and, later, machines designed for the reproduction of sculpture - both pantograph-based and built in Britain, France and Italy. The expanding sculptor’s workshops underwent a transformation, characterised not only by a growing number of mechanically trained assistants, but also by adopting characteristics akin to a modern manufactory, thus departing from the traditional small workshop system.
This paper highlights the development of mechanical technologies through the collaboration between artists and engineers to build machines for reproducing sculpture and their integration into artistic practice. These advancements, exemplified by innovations such as the ‘Collas machine’ and artists’ collaborations with foundries, revolutionised the reproduction of sculpture. On the one hand, technical processes played a central role in shaping the perception of sculpture as a ‘mechanical art’, with a lasting influence on modern artists such as Rodin, who employed Collas machine to resize his models. On the other hand, the newly invented machines were demonstrated competitively as innovations in the service of the arts and gained popularity as captivating spectacles, frequently displayed at international exhibitions like the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.
Building upon these reflections on mechanical reproduction, this paper will take up the nineteenth-century’s working techniques and processes, considering them as tools of measurement, shaping, and surface treatment which, in theory and in writing, influenced sculptural practice and the self-image of sculptors. Drawing on Gilbert Simondon’s ideas, the paper examines the labour process, particularly in terms of defining the machine transmissions that are analogous to the sculptor’s work, and explores how their work is arranged and transformed from its natural form according to new technologies and materials. By arguing that the creation of sculpture depends on tools and materials, including machines, the paper contends that both presuppose and manifest the shape and form of sculpture. Consequently, it argues for a re-evaluation of works that might not be conventionally classified as sculpture due to their materiality, representation and social significance, such as miniature busts and Kleinplastik, gained prominence in response to a burgeoning art market.
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Buket Altinoba, Dr., is a research assistant leading the project titled "Machines for the Reproduction of Sculpture: Competition of Reproduction Techniques 1770-1880" at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. Her research focuses on art, reproduction, and material culture in the 19th century. Before holding a visiting professorship at the University of Regensburg, she worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Art and Architectural History at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
The intertwining of art and technology in sculptural reproduction, from the Renaissance ideal to the 19th-century revival, transformed artistic practice. With the onset of industrialisation, skilled artists collaborated with engineers to develop machines for sculptural reproduction, transforming workshops into modern manufactories. These innovations influenced artists and changed the perception of sculpture as a 'mechanical art'. Exploring 19th-century techniques as tools of measurement and transformation, this paper considers how technologies and materials shaped sculptural theory and practice. It argues for a re-evaluation of works beyond conventional sculpture, such as miniature busts, highlighting their importance in response to an expanding art market.