Emperor Designs · Aes Ars — The Art of Bronze
Aes Ars · Emperor Designs · Hand-cast bronze · Czech Republic

The art of bronze
2500 years of European tradition

The Roman emperors called it their most coveted possession. The artists of Prague elevated it to an imperial art. Today the masters of Bohemia cast it anew — each piece unique, each piece ancient in its origins.

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The most coveted metal of Rome

Aes Corinthium — the legendary bronze
of the Roman elite

The Romans called bronze aes — and no aes was more coveted than Aes Corinthium. Corinthian bronze was a legendary alloy of copper, gold and silver, said to have been created during the burning of Corinth in 146 BC. When the city fell and its treasures burned, the metals fused together into something new — a material of unrivalled warmth and lustre that no human hand could have deliberately created.

Emperor Augustus collected it passionately. Cicero wrote about it with barely concealed envy. Pliny the Elder devoted an entire chapter to it in his Naturalis Historia. A statue of Aes Corinthium in your atrium was the ultimate status symbol — proof not merely of wealth, but of refinement.

But the story of bronze does not begin with Rome. It begins much earlier — and ends, via Prague, in the workshops of Bohemia.

"There are three kinds of Corinthian bronze: the first has a silvery sheen, the second a golden glitter, the third — and most coveted — has both in equal measure."
Pliny the Elder · Naturalis Historia · 77 AD
Three European capitals of bronze

From Rome via Prague
to the workshops of Bohemia

The story of Aes Ars runs like an unbroken thread through 2500 years of European history — from the sculptors of Rome, via the imperial art court of Prague, to the foundry masters of modern Czech Republic.

I
Roma · Greece · Antiquity
The Birth of the Bronze Statue
The Greeks perfected the bronze statue. The Romans inherited that tradition and elevated it to imperial grandeur. The equestrian Marcus Aurelius on the Capitoline Hill, the Riace Warriors — bronze was the material of gods and emperors. The only material that could capture movement, tension and life as marble never could.
II
Praha · Bohemia · 1576–1612
The Art Court of Rudolf II
Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg made Prague the cultural capital of Europe. He assembled the greatest art collection of his time and drew the finest foundry masters, sculptors and artists to his imperial court on the Vltava. The Bohemian bronze-casting tradition he established was rooted directly in the Italian Renaissance inheritance of the Roman ideal.
III
Czech Republic · Present
The Heirs of Bohemia
The Czech foundry tradition is one of the richest in Europe — flowing directly from the imperial craftsmanship of the Holy Roman Empire. Today's artisans work with the same techniques brought to Bohemia 500 years ago by Rudolf II: the lost-wax process, hand finishing, patina applied by masters who have passed their craft from father to son.
A technique 5000 years old

Cire Perdue — the lost-wax process

The technique used to cast Aes Ars sculptures is the same technique used by the Greeks, the Romans and the craftsmen of Rudolf II. They called it cire perdue — the lost wax. A process in which a wax model literally engineers its own demise in order to create something eternal.

The lost-wax process · Cire Perdue
The same technique as the Roman, the same hand as the master
I
A wax model is shaped by hand — every detail, every muscle, every expression applied by hand
II
The wax model is encased in a ceramic shell. The wax is burned out — the lost step
III
Molten bronze at over 1000°C is poured into the empty shell. Once cooled, the ceramic is removed
IV
The piece is finished and patinated by hand by the master. No two pieces are identical
A timeline of bronze and power

From Corinth to Bohemia

146 BC
Corinth — The birth of Aes Corinthium
The burning of Corinth fuses gold, silver and copper into a legendary alloy. Aes Corinthium is born — the most coveted metal of the Roman world. Emperor Augustus and Cicero will collect it as the most precious thing that exists.
1st–2nd c. AD
Rome — The bronze emperors
The Roman elite fills its villas and palaces with bronze statues. The equestrian Marcus Aurelius is cast — the only large-scale Roman equestrian statue to have survived the centuries. Pliny writes his famous description of Aes Corinthium.
14th–16th c.
Renaissance — The rediscovery of bronze
Italian artists rediscover the Greek and Roman bronze technique. Donatello casts his David — the first free-standing bronze nude since antiquity. The cire perdue technique once again becomes the standard for the most prestigious sculptures in Europe.
1576–1612
Prague — Rudolf II and the imperial art court
Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg makes Prague the cultural capital of Europe. He draws the finest foundry masters to his court and establishes a Bohemian tradition of bronze-casting rooted directly in the Italian Renaissance inheritance of the Roman ideal.
Present
Aes Ars · Emperor Designs · Czech Republic
In the foundries of Bohemia, in the unbroken tradition of the imperial art court of Prague, the bronze sculptures of Aes Ars are cast. Each piece by the lost-wax technique, each piece finished by hand. 2500 years of European bronze tradition, continued.
Aes Ars — hand-cast bronze sculptures by Emperor Designs
Aes Ars · Bohemia · Czech Republic

Bronze sculptures for
home and garden

Every Aes Ars piece is cast in the Czech Republic using the lost-wax process — the same technique used by the Greeks, the Romans and the masters of Rudolf II. Finished and patinated by hand. No two pieces are identical. An object that lasts for generations.

  • Hand-cast in the Czech Republic — Bohemian tradition
  • Lost-wax process — 5000-year-old technique
  • Finished and patinated by hand
  • Each piece unique — no mass production
  • For home, garden and interior
  • European craftsmanship — lasting generations
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Frequently asked questions

Everything about Aes Ars & bronze sculptures

What is Aes Corinthium?+
Aes Corinthium was the most coveted metal in the Roman Empire — a legendary alloy of copper, gold and silver. According to tradition it was created during the burning of Corinth in 146 BC, when the metals of the burning city fused together. Augustus and Cicero collected it passionately. A statue of Aes Corinthium was the ultimate status symbol of the Roman elite.
Why was bronze so important to the Romans?+
Bronze was the material of choice for the most prestigious Roman sculptures. It allowed movement, tension and lifelike quality as marble never could. The most famous statues — the Marcus Aurelius, the Riace Warriors — were of bronze. It was the material of gods, emperors and heroes.
What is the imperial connection between the Czech Republic and bronze?+
Prague was the imperial residence of Rudolf II of Habsburg (1576–1612), the most artistically minded emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He assembled the greatest art collection in Europe and established a Bohemian tradition of bronze-casting rooted in the Italian Renaissance and the Roman ideal. That tradition lives on to this day.
How are bronze sculptures made?+
Using the lost-wax process (cire perdue) — a technique over 5000 years old, also used by the Romans. A wax model is encased in ceramic, the wax burned out, and molten bronze poured in. Once cooled, the shell is removed and the piece finished and patinated by hand. No two pieces are identical.
Where are the Aes Ars sculptures cast?+
All Aes Ars bronze sculptures are cast in the Czech Republic, in the unbroken tradition of the imperial Prague bronze foundries. The Czech Republic has one of the richest metalworking traditions in Europe, flowing directly from the imperial craftsmanship of the Holy Roman Empire.
What does the name Aes Ars mean?+
'Aes' is the Latin word for bronze and metal — the Romans spoke of Aes Corinthium for the most coveted bronze. 'Ars' is Latin for art and craftsmanship. Aes Ars: the art of bronze — the oldest and most imperial sculptural tradition in Europe.
“The same metal coveted by the emperors of Rome. The same technique perfected by the masters of Prague. Cast in Bohemia, for your interior.”
Aes Ars · Emperor Designs · Holland
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