GALVANOPLASTY. - A procedure based on the laws of electrolysis, by means of which objects are reproduced by depositing a metal upon a mould that may be made of various substances (gelatin, gutta-percha, plaster, wax, etc.) and coated with graphite.
In this procedure the mould functions as the cathode and the metal as the anode; the thickness of the metal which, in the reproduction of statues, bas-reliefs, etc., is deposited upon the mould will therefore be proportional to the time during which the object has been kept in the electrolytic bath. The galvanoplastic method also finds applications for more properly industrial uses, such as typographical reproductions and clichés (the so-called galvanotypy, that is, the metallization of clichés for large print runs), the construction of parabolic mirrors, gramophone records, and in dental technology. In the decorative arts g. 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.