A bronze sculpture, often simply called ‘a bronze’, is a three-dimensional piece of art made by pouring molten bronze into a mould, before leaving it to solidify.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, made by heating the two metals together and allowing them to cool. Nowadays a metal qualifies as bronze only if it adheres to a strict ratio of 88% copper and 12% tin.

In the past, however, the composition of bronze varied widely. The earliest ‘bronze’ products were actually made from copper and arsenic, and many ancient ‘bronzes’ have later been revealed actually to be brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.

Bronze sculpture is made via a process known as casting: pouring molten metal into a mould and leaving it to solidify.

Complete with pipe connector to the rear of the elephant to attach a hose to spout water from the trunk.