Why are Remington bronzes so difficult to authenticate? The foundry records are incomplete. Even the numbering on them is sporadic, out of sequence, and sometimes nonexistent. Remington continued to make changes throughout the edition to the pose and details. Thus, there are even major variations in the edition of the same piece. Frederic Remington bronzes were cast using three methods; sand, lost wax and ceramic shell. Each one leaves a different finish. The artist left almost no records of edition sizes, patinas, chasing of details and number of variations.
There were at least five modem editions of his bronzes. Remington bronzes can vary in value from $3,000,000 to $3,000.
We specialize in Frederic Remington bronzes. We can authenticate them from photos. No other appraiser has such complete files of Frederic Remington bronzes or more experience. We invite you to compare us to the other "experts".
| Chronology of Frederic Remington Bronzes |
| 1895 |
Remington executes first bronze "Bronco Buster", subsequently he does 21 more subjects. |
| 1895 |
Remington commissions Roman Bronze Works to cast his bronzes. |
| 1898 |
Remington changes from sand casting to lost wax technique in order to obtain finer detail. |
| 1900 |
Some subjects are made in more than one size. |
| 1894 |
Multiple piece bases begin. Welded bolts on underside. |
| 1895 - 1900 |
Henry Bonnard Bronze Foundry begins casting Remington bronzes. |
| 1905 |
Hot patina is changed from black to brown, liver sulfate to ferric nitrate. |
| 1909 |
Frederic Remington dies. |
| 1909 - 1918 |
Frederic Remington's widow authorizes some casts (2 nd edition), chasing lessens. |
| 1919 |
Frederic Remington's widow dies. |
| 1919 |
Foundry continues to make posthumous casts. Number style is changed. Chasing is omitted. |
| 1920 |
One piece bases become standard. |
| 1925 |
Numbering on the inside begins. |
| 1965 |
Whips, guns, spears, etc. are now fabricated rather than cast. |
| 1970 |
Copyright on Frederic Remington bronzes expires. |
| 1972 |
Roman Bronze Works simplifies detail and drops copyright notice. (3rd edition) |
| 1975 |
Type of marble is changed on base. |
| 1977 |
Bevel on marble edge is changed to bull nose. |
| 1978 |
Buffalo Bill Historical Center casts "authorized replicas". |
| 1981 |
Surmoulages appear on the market. Detail is lost on Chinese casts, but not on Italian ones. Mexican bases are rounded off and thinner. |
| 1985 |
Foundry marks are changed from one line to two lines. |
| 1989 |
Marble bases are omitted altogether. (4 th edition) |
| 1990 |
Ceramic shell casting replaces lost wax. Detail is restored. |
| 1992 |
Hot patina is replaced by cold patina with more colors. (5 Ih edition) |
