GALVANOPLASTY. - A process based on the laws of electrolysis, by means of which objects are reproduced by depositing a metal onto a form that can be made of various substances (gelatin, guttapercha, plaster, wax, etc.) and coated with graphite.
In this process, the mold functions as the cathode and the metal as the anode; the thickness of the metal, which in the reproduction of statues, bas-reliefs, etc., will be deposited onto the form, is therefore proportional to the time the object is kept in the electrolytic bath. The galvanoplastic method also finds applications for more strictly industrial uses, such as typographic reproductions and clichés (the so-called galvanotypy, consisting in the metallization of clichés for large print runs), the construction of parabolic mirrors, gramophone records, and in dental technology. In the decorative arts, galvanoplasty is used for gilding, silver-plating, and nickel-plating. Among artistic reproductions, those reproducing the Hildesheim treasure, preserved in the Musée de Cluny, are renowned.