Elementary Instructions for Students of Sculpture

This is a translation of the 1802 introduction to studio practices for sculpture students by Francesco Carradori (1747-1824), a sculptor, restorer, and instructor of sculpture at the Accademia in Florence from 1786 to 1821. Carradori's instructions are vital to understanding the art and craft of sculpting as they were practiced before the twentieth century, since little substantial material exists that demonstrates, in an informed, didactic manner, the various tools and techniques used by ancient sculptors to execute work, Carradori's work is the most comprehensive and instructive and includes thirteen articles that explain how to restore marble sculpture, model clay, work with stucco and wax, cast and finish bronze, and carve and enlarge models into marble and stone, as well as seventeen plates that illustrate the arrangement, methods, and tools used in each of these processes,