(2) Matching Happy Bronze and Gilt Clown Sculptures. Both have shiny stylized gnome-like hats, and are in slightly different positions with gilt balancing balls to play with. Both signed with initials "C.a.D." 

Largest Size: 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 7 in. 

#6221 . 

Ormolu (from the French “or moulu” meaning “ground/pounded gold”) is a term for the gilding technique of applying finely ground high-carat gold-mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and objects finished in this way. The mercury is driven off in a kiln, leaving behind a gold coating. The French refer to this technique as bronze doré; in English, it is known as gilt bronze. Around 1830 legislation in France outlawed the use of mercury for health reasons, though use continued to the 1900s. A later substitute of a mixture of metals resembling ormolu was developed in France and called pomponne, though the mix of copper and zinc, sometimes with an addition of tin, is technically a type of brass. From the late 19th Century onward the term has been popularized to refer to gilt metal or imitation gold. Gilt bronze has been found from antiquity onwards across Eurasia, and especially in Chinese art, where it was always more common than silver-gilt which was more popular in Europe. The original, highly dangerous process of making ormolu (which could result often in mercury poisoning) has generally been supplanted by the electroplating of gold over a nickel substrate, which is more economical and less dangerous. However, the phrase “gilt bronze” continues to be used for bronze figures, sculptures, and other objects that are given a gold-hued cover or area to distinguish their features, regardless of the metal or process that is used.