Patina in the construction of the poetic bronze image: science of materials, art and philosophy

Abstract Bronze has been positioned as the medium par excellence for sculptural production bearing the aesthetic, symbolic and poetic values that have propitiated the construction of a metallurgical archetype, which has its genesis in its physicochemical, metallurgical and mechanical properties. Of these properties, the formation of the patina is the one that contributes most to the construction of its poetic image, since it is the one that, along with the form, suddenly appears before the spectators, directly affecting their perception of the work. To exemplify this, we analyze the patina of the sculpture La Piedad by Bernardo Vieco using SEM–EDX and XRD. The results show a non-protective patina that, added to the other factors of deterioration of the work, contribute to the drama of the scene that is represented, taking it from pain and impotence before the death of a loved one, to a state of hopelessness and apathy embodied in a bronze that deteriorates over time with environmental factors and neglect in the protection and conservation of the work. Graphical abstract Sculpture La Piedad of Bernardo Vieco and some of their samples evaluated.