At the time Norman Lindsay and Rayner Hoff were producing sculpture, Australian sculptors had to send their work abroad for casting. The cost was prohibitive and so few artists ever saw their work cast in bronze during their lifetime. Today, there are several fine Australian foundries.

The Josef Lebovic Gallery and Odana Editions chose the Melbourne foundry, Meridian, to produce the sculpture editions. Meridian has been operating since 1973 and is the largest lost-wax foundry in Australia, with wide experience in producing high quality work for many artists.

Traditionally sculpture has been produced either as a single piece or in very small editions. As such, it has been difficult for collectors to acquire sculpture at an affordable price. We believe that by casting in larger editions more people will be able to own a fine piece of sculpture. The process of producing these bronzes ensures that the quality remains uniformly high throughout the whole edition.

Bronze casting, one of the oldest methods of reproduction, has remained essentially unchanged since the Renaissance. First, a silicon rubber mould is made directly from the original plaster. A wax cast is then made from this mould and a 'runner and riser' system is attached to it. The wax is then covered with a refactory, a plaster and water mix that is built up layer by layer until the shell is cylindrical in shape. This is kiln-fired for 48 hours to drive off water and "burn out" the wax. Molten bronze is then poured into the wax cavity. Imperfections in the castings are hand-finished. Finally the patina, a multi-layered chemical process which affects the colour of the finished bronze, is applied.

Please click on the thumbnails to view larger images. Sculpture on this page is for sale from Odana Editions.
To order, please click here.

The Magic Pudding sculpture forms the centrepiece of The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Melbourne sculptor Louis Laumen has faithfully crafted bronze miniatures of his landmark sculpture of The Magic Pudding characters located in this historic precinct.

A limited edition of 75 miniatures of this sculpture have been authorised for release under copyright from Norman Lindsay’s family. Proceeds from the sale of these miniatures fund the Melbourne Prize Trust and annual Melbourne Prize. A miniature is on display at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Visitor Centre Birdwood Avenue South Yarra Vic 3142.

The miniatures are available exclusively through:
Melbourne Prize Trust
Level 2
25 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 9650 8800
Email: Melbourne Prize Trust
Web: www.melbourneprizetrust.org.

These sculptures of Puddin' characters are a great tribute to this classic Australian story written in 1918. They capture the spirit of adventure that childhood should be for all of us. Our family is delighted that Norman Lindsay's original creation has further inspired such unique and special sculptures.
Helen Glad, Norman Lindsay's granddaughter

Norman Lindsay's one enduring master work is The Magic Pudding. My job was to take his illustrations off the page and retain their essence whilst modelling the bronze as near as I may to Norman Lindsay's hands.
Louis Laumen, Sculptor