First Intro craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings
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craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings Made in Italy. Designed and produced by Osanna Visconti in Milan at an Italian casting foundry, as a result each piece is one-of-a-kind.
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Second Intro craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings
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craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings Made in Italy. Designed and produced by Osanna Visconti in Milan at an Italian casting foundry, as a result each piece is one-of-a-kind.
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Third Intro craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings
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Design objects craftsmanship Designed and produced by Osanna Visconti in Milan at an Italian casting foundr, as a result each piece is one-of-a-kind.
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Fourth Intro
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Craftsmanship of cast-bronze furnishings Made in Italy. Designed and produced by Osanna Visconti in Milan at an Italian casting foundry. Each piece is one-of-a-kind.
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All of Osanna Visconti’s creations are fused in natural bronze using the lost-wax casting method. This ancient technique works with a negative form in which molten metal is cast. Osanna kneads and shapes her initial wax sculpture by hand. As the defining element of her creations, the wax model is used to create a plaster mould. During the drying phase in kilns heated to 650°C, the wax is melted and drained away, leaving behind the negative form for the casting of bronze in the art foundry.
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“It’s very difficult to find young people who have the passion to learn this manual job. I hope that tomorrow’s youth will appreciate the beauty in being an artisan.”
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Italian designer and maker, Osanna Visconti, casts exquisitely detailed jewellery and objects, both functional and decorative, from natural bronze using the lost wax technique – an ancient method that Greek and Roman artisans have been using since bronze was discovered 3000 years ago. Osanna shares with Cabana Magazine her love of historic buildings, collecting and artisanship, and discusses her hopes for the future of her craft.
Osanna Visconti
Presenting
DIOR MAISON X OSANNA VISCONTI: AN EXCEPTIONAL NEW LINE
From the lush rose gardens of Granville to the Provencal property of La Colle Noire, botany was always a source of inspiration for Christian Dior.
The collection dreamed up by Osanna Visconti for Dior Maison reflects the shared passion for nature that unites the founding-couturier and the Milanese artist.
For Dior, the designer has conceived a series of decorative bronze objects, the result of a symbiosis between different forms of exceptional savoir-faire: the creations are handcrafted using the lost-wax casting process - a technique chosen by the greatest sculptors, including Rodin and Camille Claudel.
A captivating dialogue where the beauty of the plant world and the excellence of contemporary artisanship, so dear to the House, shine through.
"I am very pleased to be able to collaborate with a Maison that pays so much attention to craftsmanship."
Concept
Osanna wished to create an organic collection: a candlestick that is not just a candlestick, a basket that is not just a basket, but everlasting decorative objects. Jewels for the table.
Concept
The Process
Crafting Hydrangea
It all starts with an actual flower. Osanna moulds wax to every single petal and leaf before they are reassembled to form the Hydrangea once again.
The Process
Crafting Vimini
Osanna takes up an overlooked object like a Vimini basket, appreciating its craftsmanship. She moulds wax to each weave of the basket, accentuating its unique texture.
Lost-wax casting
The wax sculpture dries away in furnaces at a temperature of 650°C, leaving the negative it has etched out to be filled with liquid bronze and begin the lost-wax casting process. Molten bronze at a temperature of 1200°C is poured into the moulds and fills the interstice left by the lost wax.
In the Making
In the Making
Extraction
The mould is then cracked open to reveal the object inside.
Artistic Chiselling
At this point the object is spattered and presents imperfections. It needs to be finished and chiselled by hand for all flaws to be removed.
In the Making
The Collection
Dior Maison x Osanna Visconti Collection
Hydrangea flowers and leaves which otherwise have a short lifespan, become eternal when cast in bronze. Understated objects like Vimini baskets are transformed into works of art. Discover the collection on Dior Maison.
