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Bronze Horse Sculpture: Flying Thoroughbred (Racehorse) by Sue Maclaurin

Bronze Horse Sculpture: Flying Thoroughbred (Racehorse) by Sue Maclaurin

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Size in cm: 30w x 13.5h x 7d cm
Size in inches: 12"w x 5½"h x 3¾"d
Weight: 2.26kg / 5lb

Edition: 250
Material: Foundry Cast Bronze

Flying Thoroughbred captures the thrilling final moments of a heart pounding race as a finely bred racehorse instinctively strains every sinew to cross the finish line in front.

‘Flying Thoroughbred’ stunningly captures one of the most finely bred athletes in the world at the peak of its performance. The deep love of the subject and keen understanding of its anatomy, movement, weight and intent captured in this fleeting moment, is a testament to an exciting lifetime spent immersed with horses across multiple disciplines by sculptor Sue Maclaurin.

Poised on just one hoof, the sculptor has in this case specifically chosen to deliberately showcase the stunning qualities of the final casting material in her choice of pose. The strength of foundry bronze allows the entire weight of the horse's body to balance one slender limb, while the finesse of casting afforded by the bronze allows for every muscle and tendon of the artist’s original sculpture to be captured and highlighted in the final casting.

This piece has been created in response to collectors who have asked specifically for a thoroughbred or racehorse. Sue Maclaurin knew from the outset that she wanted to sculpt the subject a full stretch, highlighting its desperate innate desire to win, to be first. When sketching her early ideas for this piece, she considered whether to include a jockey, but chose instead to show just the form and movement of the horse alone, to be enjoyed from every angle uninterrupted.

She also felt that by showing the horse alone, it allowed both racing enthusiasts and the wider community of horse lovers the sheer pleasure of enjoying the equine form at the peak of its capability. Horses naturally race, so the pose will be familiar to lovers of all breeds and types of horse around the world.

This is an unusual sculpture, that powerfully conveys the love and understanding of the sculptor for her subject. Arguably it shows a thoroughbred at its very best – doing what generations of ancestors have been bred to do – at the peak of its performance.

Each casting of ‘Flying Thoroughbred’ arrives bearing the artist’s signature, its own unique edition number and our NF maker’s mark.

Arriving in our elegant signature presentation gift box, accompanied by an artist signed and numbered certificate, whether to say ‘happy birthday’ to the horse lover in your life, or as a ‘thank you’ for the racing aficionado in your circle, this sculpture stands out as a truly breath-taking gift.

Born in Colchester, Sue Maclaurin emigrated to Northern Rhodesia with her family, where a life-long passion for wildlife and horses began.

Her childhood was spent, when not at boarding school, roaming freely in the bush on horseback, revelling in the diversity of wildlife which still existed at that time.

Returning to England to study at Winchester School of Art, Sue graduated with a B.A (Hons.) in Fine Art and subsequently spent several years involved with Marwell Zoological Park, where she continued to study, paint and sculpt their wide variety of animals at very close quarters. While she was there, Sue was commissioned to create the art work and logo for Marwell Park’s advertising.

During these few years, Sue further explored and develop her interest in sculpting at Pinewood Studios as she was asked by Ray Harryhausen to assist him model making on various films including Clash of the Titans.

An opportunity then arose for Sue to return to Africa with her family, and the following four years were filled happily with the pursuit of varied projects including gold-mining frontier style, fish farming and dairy farming, while Sue continued to sculpt and paint for her own pleasure.

Whilst Africa and its wildlife were ‘utterly beautiful’, it unfortunately became too politically unstable, so Sue’s family once again returned home to England. Her wildlife sculpture was quickly accepted by galleries across the United Kingdom and quickly developed a loyal following of collectors.

A white house in the Wiltshire countryside is now home, with two Siamese cats, two horses, a thriving sculpture studio and a saddlery business that means Sue’s skills as a Master Saddle Maker command a constant waiting list. Sue continues to sculpt both the wildlife that surrounds her home daily as well as other traditional animals such as pigs and thoroughly enjoys hearing stories of the joy that the bronze castings of her pieces bring to collectors.

Creation of your bronze sculpture

Every time we cast a piece, a new mould is created and subsequently destroyed. This means that every single piece of sculpture bought from us is entirely hand made and utterly unique, which is why it is numbered by hand to tell you which casting of the edition you have bought.

1. Mould Making

A silicone rubber mould is made of the original art work. Absolutely every detail captured or missed by this mould will be reproduced in the bronze castings. Depending on the size of the mould, it may then be cut into sections for casting.

This is the master mould used to originate all castings of that piece. Each time that piece is ordered, we follow the following procedure:

2. Making the Wax Casting

Molten wax is poured into the rubber to create an exact wax duplicate of the original model.

3. Chasing the Wax

The wax is removed from the rubber mould any flaws are hand finished by a skilled craftsman.

4. Spruing

Wax rods and a wax pouring cup are carefully attached to the wax casting in just the right positions to allow bronze to be poured in any displaced air to escape. This means that no air bubbles are trapped inside the mould as they would be gaps in the finished bronze piece.

5. Investment

The wax model with attached rods is now covered in ceramic material which will form the mould for the final bronze pour. This is done by dipping the wax model carefully into investment liquid and then covering it in a fine powder before allowing it to cure (completely dry). The model is then dipped into investment liquid again and given a coating of a coarse ceramic powder. By following this procedure several times, a ceramic shell is built up around the wax model.

6. Burn-Out

The wax inside the ceramic shell is then placed in a kiln and fired. The shell bakes and the wax is melted (lost) from the shell. This creates a hollow ceramic shell mould and accounts for the term "Lost Wax" being applied to the process.

7. Casting

The ceramic mould is removed from the kiln and molten bronze is immediately poured into it, at 1200°C.

8. Break Out

Once the casting has been allowed to cool for several hours, the mould is carefully removed by hand from the bronze model inside.

9. Sandblasting

Any fragments of the ceramic shell are removed by sandblasting and the sculpture is carefully inspected at this point.

10. Assembly

All attached rods and cups (which are now bronze) are removed by hand. At this point, any segments of a large sculpture that has been cast in sections are welded together.

11.Chasing

All the weld marks and removed and rod marks are chased and re-detailed by hand. Any scars left by the rods are carefully blended to match the rest of the sculpture’s surface as intended by the artist.

12. Polishing

The bronze is hand polished in preparation for the patina.

13. Patination

The bronze is first heated before the chemical patina is applied by an artist. A patina can achieve many different colours or effects depending on the mix of chemicals used.

14. Waxing

Finally a wax coating is hand applied before the piece is polished to ensure a beautiful lustrous patina.

15. Numbering

Finally, the piece is numbered by hand. It is numbered as the casting number, followed by a slash and finally the edition size. For examples, 5/250 means that your piece was the fifth piece to be cast from the master mould out of 250 castings made. The piece also bears the signature of the artist. Sue Maclaurin pieces are marked either Sue Maclaurin, Sue Mac, or with her insignia of an S and small cat face.

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