BUTTER SCULPTURE AND CARVING

The Tibetan Buddhists are said to be the first creators of butter carvings and sculptures. During the 19th century, state fairs in North America became meeting grounds the butter carvers and now remain a popular setting for makers and admirers. It's necessary to work in a cool place to keep your butter creation from melting.


The History of carving food into sculptured objects is ancient. Archaeologists have found bread and pudding molds of animal and human shapes at sites from Babylon to Roman Britain. Butter sculpture is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition; yak butter and dye are still used to create temporary symbols for the Tibetan New Year and other religious celebrations.

During the Renaissance and Baroque periods modling food was commonly done for wealthy banquets. It was during this period that the earliest known reference to a butter sculpture is found. In 1536 Bartolomeo Scappi, organized a feast composed of nine scenes elaborately carved out of food. Each carried episodically centerpieces for a banquet. Scappi mentioned several butter sculptures for the feast, including an elephant with a pancquin, a figure of hercules struggling with a lion, and a moor on a camel.

Another early reference is found in the biography of Antonio Canova (1757-1822), who said he first came to his patron's attention when as a humble kitchen boy he sculpted an impressive butter lion for a banquet. The story now thought apocyphal, though it reaffirms the existence of butter sculpture during that period.

Butter sculpting continued into the 18th century when English dairy maids molded butter pats into decorative shapes. Caroline Shawk Brooks with a butter sculpture basrelief of Columbus for the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.

The earliest butter sculpture in the modern sense can be traced to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition where Caroline Shawk Brooks displayed her Dreaming lolanthe, a basrelief bust of a woman modeled in butter. It was kept cold with a system of layered bowls and frequent ice changes. Brooks had no formal art training but as a farmer she spent years making butter. To make the work more interesting, she began sculpting it, eventually using it as a selling point. Afterwards she studied in Paris and Florence and eventually became a professional sculptor who worked in marble, but occasionally made more butter art.

The heyday of butter sculpting was from about 1890 to 1930. During this period refrigeration became widely available and the American dairy industry began promoting butter sculpture as a way to compete againts synthetic butter substitute like Oleomargarine (margarine). Butter sculpting decreased during the Great Depression and World War II due to shortages but picked up again after the war.

Reference To All Sailors -

i. Tibetan Buddhist is the form of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in Tibet and the surrounding Himalayan region beginning 7th century CE.

ii. Bartolomeo Scappi was a famous Renaissance chef.

iii. Caroline Shawk Brooks, a farmer that have been a well known sculpturer.

TIPS IN BUTTER CARVING & SCULPTING

In butter sculpture artwork, you will really need the proper tools and also the tips to make that your artwork will look awesome.

Tip 1: Work in a cool place (because you don't want the butter melt)

Tip 2: Keep your hands very cold when working with butter

THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED IN BUTTER CARVING AND SCULPTING

R Butter

R Knife

R  Ice Water

R Sculpting Tools

R   Cool Room

Optional tools:

R Food Coloring

R Base with Framework

 STEP IN BUTTER SCULPTING

Step 1: Purchase enough 100 percent butter to create the sculpture you have in mind.

Step 2: Create a wood or wire frame and attach it to a base if you plan on making a large butter carving or smaller carvings can be made of solid.

Step 3: Soak the butter in ice water for roughly 10 minutes. Numb your hands in ice water to prevent the butter from melting when you're working with it.

Step 4: Remove butter from ice water and knead together to remove air bubbles.

Step 5: Attach butter to the base if you made one. If not, simply shape the butter into a vague representation of whatever final product you're envisioning.

Step 6: Use the tip of a sharp knife to carefully carve out sections of unwanted butter. If you make a mistake, firmly re-attach a piece of butter over the error and try again.

Step 7: Place in the freezer once complete to keep your butter carving from melting.