Metal Composition Hold Key To Identity Of Modern Sculptures

Alloying elements in bronze sculptures give clues about artist, date, origin and authenticity. How do you tell when, where and how a Picasso or a Matisse sculpture was cast? Could bronze sculptures have their very own DNA? By linking data from the alloy composition of modern sculptures with parameters from art history, researchers have classified the unique composition profiles of cast bronze sculptures by major European artists of the first half of the 20th century, profiles which could be used as another method to identify, date and even authenticate sculptures.