Bronze Rhino figurine- comments pls

H all,not sure if this is bronze or copper? Looks to be well handled and I think it might be vintage (but not antique)There are many different examples on line. It is 17cm long and stands about 7-8cm tall. Weighs just under 0.5kg. Maybe 60-70’s? The head and horns,mouth makes my think White Rhino but the body looks more like the Greater one horned rhino (well to me) Thank you for any comments

 

How sweet.

The colour, which is the same on the worn parts of the feet, means it is bronze.

 

That makes sense,thanks AJ. Yes it’s a cool little object. It does look like a combination of types (body wise) But think it is supposed to be a white rhino. Do you also think vintage perhaps? (Shows some honest wear,I thought)

 

Yes, it does. It is certainly vintage.

 

Rhino hide is indeed 'warty' but the looseness (see 'rear end' pic) in which this statue was rendered makes me think post-WWII.It has a slight Brutalist feel to me-but that's a total guess.

 

Something about him struck me as Asian. If he does not have a mold line anywhere, he might have been made using the lost wax casting method.

Perhaps he is a fengshui rhinoceros -

https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...YYcGCQQtKgLegQIDxAB&biw=1438&bih=695&dpr=1.25

"The Rhinoceros is a well known feng shui symbol of protection, be it against robbery, accidents, office drama or betrayal, especially against the vicious #7 Star in Period 8. The rhinoceros has attained these attributes due to its protective and resilient nature as an animal, and how it is aggressive towards any other threatening beasts. In Feng Shui, the Blue Rhinoceros is best utilized to protect against any negatives or dangers in life when a pair is placed on an elevated plane in the affected sector, or flanking any door in this vicinity."
https://www.fengshuimall.com/rhinoceros

 

Thanks for the information that’s an interesting possibility.
I did consider that it’s maybe Asian (but didn’t think of fengshui) I don’t see a continues mold line. There’s ridge on the back 2 and round areas on the under belly (not sure what that means)

 

@2manybooks
Can you please tell me what you think. Does the 2 circular small
areas mean anything?

 

I can't be sure, but they might be evidence of the casting process. Does he feel like a solid casting, or hollow? That would make a difference for a possible interpretation of the marks. And can you please post some closeups of the bottom of his feet? Something like this would usually be cast upside down, pouring the molten metal into one or more of the highest points (this would be the bottom of his feet).

 

Seems hollow to me. Please see additional photos as requested. Under the one foot it almost looks like rust (but I rubbed it and scrapped it with my nail and it doesn’t come off at all like rust would) Thanks for any further thoughts. I appreciate it!

 

OK, the odd little pits and circles could be several things. If the rhino is hollow, they may be remains of "chaplets", which are little internal struts used to support a core that prevents the molten metal from filling the whole shape. Or they may just be flaws in the casting that were large enough that the artisan wanted to patch them.

They might also be the remains of vents that allowed air to escape as the mold was filled, or small openings to scrape out some of the remains of the core after casting. But if it was cast upside down, as I suspect, these explanations would be less likely as they would be below the level of the feet and molten metal would escape during the pour.

The material you noticed that looks like "rust" on the bottom of one foot looks like it might be core material (typically a sand/clay mixture) that was pushed up into the leg and foot as the mold filled. It would be imbedded in the metal, so you would not be able to scrape it off.

 

Thinking more about your rhino, I am leaning more toward the patched flaws theory.

I noticed there are a few smaller pinholes in the same area of the casting,



and the belly of the beast would be a likely place for gas bubbles to get trapped during the pour. The artisan plugged the larger "blowholes", but decided he could live with the smaller ones.

 

It’s all very interesting! Many thanks your time and valuable comments. I really do appreciate it