Group of Four Human Figures

A “bunch” of four figures sprouting from a shared, unformed base. Two larger figures with male genitalia are framed by two smaller, presumably female figures. The men have more prominent hands that could have held weapons or other objects, while the outstretched arms of the women extend over the male bodies. The flat figures simplify the human body. They appear to have been formed individually in wax, assembled as a group, and cast in copper alloy in the direct method. The group was cast upside down: the base represents the funnel or "casting cup" through which the hot metal was poured into the mold. The faces were created by pinching the wax; a tool was used to define the lower edge of the nose; and the eyes were created from pellets. The heads are concave at back, the bodies flat. The patina is dark brown with thin grayish green areas and light brown accretions.