Thor Larsen is a working sculptor with a background in stone masonry as well as marble carving, and is a Principal Instructor in the Sculpture program at FAA.

In this video, recorded in the Ècorchè room of the Florence campus, that also houses the academy’s cast collection, Thor demonstrates his technique for creating a plaster cast from a silicone mold, and delivers useful tips and tricks to ensure an optimal result.

The cast he is creating is entitled The Unknown Woman of the Seine, a famous death mask of a French woman who was found in the Seine river in 1880. Plaster casts of death masks or sculptures are a common sight in ateliers and often play an integral role in the training of representational artists; yet how they are replicated with such fidelity over the ages tends to be a mystery to many.

Thor is a master cast maker, and has has an extensive cast collection in his private studio in the heart of Florence. We couldn’t think of a better artist to demonstrate this process.