Bronze Age Studio
Bronze Age Studio is a Cape Town-based creative studio founded in 1997 specialising in fine art bronze sculptures, collectible design, and architectural metal installations, serving artists, architects, interior designers, galleries, and luxury hospitality clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bronze Age Studio does
Bronze Age Studio is a privately held, Cape Town-based creative studio founded in 1997 by sculptor Jan Otto du Plessis. The studio specialises in fine art bronze sculpture, collectible design, and architectural metal installations, serving artists, architects, interior designers, galleries, and high-net-worth private collectors. Its offerings span custom sculptural commissions, large-scale architectural and interior design projects, foundry services for external artists, and a design-driven aluminium furniture sub-brand (NØDE) launched in 2019 as a joint venture between Charles Haupt and Gerrit Giebel.
The studio operates from its headquarters at 2 Plein Street, Woodstock, with a separate Bronze Age Art Foundry located in Cape Town's Silo District adjacent to the Zeitz MOCAA. The foundry merged with Sculpture Casting Services in 2016 to form the largest foundry group in the southern hemisphere. Bronze Age combines traditional craftsmanship — including the lost wax (cire perdue) method dating to antiquity — with modern digital production technologies such as 3D scanning, digital modelling, robotic CNC milling (via sister company 3D Echo Tech), and aluminium anodising. Its technical differentiation rests on an in-house texture and patination library spanning a wide colour spectrum, capability to produce monumental works up to 9 metres, and full concept-to-completion service integration.
The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven model with no public pricing or advertising. Distribution relies on direct relationships, word-of-mouth referrals, and gallery representation through Southern Guild (South Africa) and Todd Merrill Studio (New York), with visibility at international design fairs such as Design Miami and Design Miami/Basel. Revenue streams include one-time commissions (fine art, architectural, and design), limited-edition collectibles under NØDE, professional foundry services for external artists, and Shopify-based online sales of NØDE products. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding or revenue figures.
Bronze Age Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bronze Age Studio
- Legal name
- Bronze Age Studio
- Website
- https://bronzeage.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bronze Age Studio is a Cape Town-based creative studio founded in 1997 specialising in fine art bronze sculptures, collectible design, and architectural metal installations, serving artists, architects, interior designers, galleries, and luxury hospitality clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bronze Age Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fine Art Foundry & Sculpture Studio
- NAICS
- Ornamental and Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing (332323), Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing (3379)
- SIC
- Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Finishes & Decorative Installations (Plaster, Stone Veneer, Feature Walls) (IMAFANAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- CAD/CAM, Wax Modeling & Prototyping Services (CRAKAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Bronze Age Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Bronze Age Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Sculptural Commissions: Bespoke sculptural work developed from verbal briefs, sketches, or existing specifications. Working with artists, architects, interior designers, and private clients to create unique bronze works ranging from small pieces to monumental public sculptures.
- Architectural and Interior Design Projects: Large-scale architectural and interior design commissions including cladding, surfacing, decorative elements, lighting structures, and furniture. Seamless integration services combining patinated metals with CNC precision.
- NØDE Limited Edition Products: Hand-textured aluminium furniture and objects sold as limited editions. Includes pieces like the Intermission bench and Cøngregate table, represented by Southern Guild and exhibited at Design Miami.
- NØDE Product Range: Durable hand-textured aluminium furniture designs available through online store (Shopify) and custom development for clients. Includes furniture, lighting objects, and interior applications.
- Foundry Services: Full foundry services for external artists including mould-making, lost wax casting, sand casting, patination, sculpture enlarging and reduction. Working with numerous freelance sculptors and sculpting teams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Custom commissions are quote-based and project-specific |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Bronze Age Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bronze Age Studio operates a creative studio and affiliated art foundry producing fine art bronze sculptures, architectural and interior design metalwork, and collectible design objects. Services span lost wax and sand casting, mould-making, patination, sculpture enlargement, and CNC fabrication, delivered for leading artists, architects, interior designers, galleries, and luxury hospitality clients. The NØDE sub-brand extends the offering to anodised aluminium furniture, hand-textured limited editions, and custom development.
Product overview
Bronze Age Studio operates as a creative studio with distinct product lines spanning fine art foundry services and design production. The core offerings include the Bronze Age Art Foundry (lost wax and sand casting services), the Design Studio (furniture, lighting, and sculptural commissions), and NØDE (a sub-brand dedicated to anodised aluminium furniture and limited edition objects). Supporting services include Architectural Elements (cladding and surfacing) and Custom Development (bespoke design). The studio serves artists, architects, interior designers, and collectors through its Woodstock, Cape Town facility, leveraging both traditional craftsmanship and modern technologies like 3D scanning and CNC machining.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NØDE: A sub-brand focusing on anodized aluminium furniture with cutting-edge industrial design, hand-textured limited edition objects, and custom development in a range of colours and finishes. Joint venture between Gerrit Giebel and Charles Haupt founded in 2019.
Products and services
- Bronze Age Art Foundry Full-service bronze foundry offering lost wax casting, sand casting, mould-making, patination, and sculpture enlarging/reduction for external artists and designers, producing castings in silicone bronze, nickel bronze, aluminium bronze and aluminium.
- Design Studio Multidisciplinary creative studio taking non-ferrous metals from concept to planning and production, delivering sculptural commissions, architectural features, furniture, lighting, and limited-edition signature pieces for architects, interior designers, and direct clients.
- NØDE Sub-brand offering anodised aluminium furniture, hand-textured limited edition objects, and custom development in a range of colours and finishes, sold through Southern Guild and the NØDE Shopify online store.
- Architectural Elements
- NØDE Limited Editions
- Custom Development
Quantifiable outcome
- Largest foundry group in the southern hemisphere
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bronze Age Studio
Customer profileNamed customers22 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bronze Age Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Bronze Age Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sculpture Casting ServicescoreStrategic merger in 2016 that combined Bronze Age Foundry with Sculpture Casting Services, creating the largest foundry group in the southern hemisphere. This partnership expanded production processes and consolidated infrastructure.
- 3D Echo TechcoreSister company partnership for 3D scanning technologies, digital modelling, and enlargement by robotic CNC milling. Enables Bronze Age to offer up- and downscaling of models from sample size to monumental scale.
- Southern GuildcorePrimary South African gallery representation for Bronze Age Studio and NØDE products. Co-founded by Julian McGowan. Exhibitions include 'Transformations', 'New Wave', and 'Foundry Proof'. Featured at Design Miami.
- Todd Merrill StudiocoreExclusive international gallery representation for Bronze Age Studio design work, based in New York.
- Zeitz MOCAAminorLocated as neighbour to the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art for Africa (MOCAA) in Cape Town's Silo District creative hub. Positioning keeps Bronze Age at the centre of art production and presentation.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bronze Age Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BDDW: American craft furniture maker producing limited edition sculptural pieces in bronze, brass and other metals. Comparable in custom sculptural furniture focus, design collectible market positioning, and integration of industrial processes with hand-crafted finish.
- Cox London: UK-based atelier producing bespoke metalwork furniture, lighting and decorative objects for high-end residential and hospitality clients. Comparable in custom metalwork focus, luxury clientele and integration of patinated finishes with sculptural design.
- Pangolin Editions: UK-based fine art bronze foundry offering lost wax casting and related services to international artists and galleries. The closest comparable in foundry capability, client type (leading contemporary artists) and bespoke commissioning model.
- Walla Walla Foundry: Long-established US fine art bronze foundry producing editioned sculpture for leading contemporary artists. Comparable in scale of operation, lost wax expertise and exclusive relationships with internationally recognised sculptors.
- Fonderia Artistica Battaglia: Italian fine art bronze foundry working with major contemporary artists on monumental and editioned sculpture. Comparable in technique (lost wax), scale of work and serving international galleries and museums.
Broad incumbents
- Christofle: Historic French silversmith and metalwork house producing high-end silverware, plating and decorative objects for luxury hospitality and consumers. Comparable in patinated metal expertise and luxury hospitality clientele, though operating at much greater scale with mass distribution.
- Tom Dixon: UK-based design house producing high-end metalwork furniture, lighting and accessories with global retail distribution. Comparable in premium positioning and metal-centric design language, though operating at significantly larger scale across broader consumer and contract channels.
Others
- The Future Perfect: US-based gallery for collectible and limited edition design. Comparable as a retail and exhibition partner for designers producing high-end, small-batch furniture and objects in the same market as NØDE limited editions.
- Southern Guild: Leading African gallery for collectible design and Bronze Age's exclusive South African representation partner. Comparable as the primary sales channel for NØDE and Bronze Age design studio work, with a shared client base of architects, designers and collectors.
- Friedman Benda: New York gallery specialising in collectible design with representation of major designers working in metal and mixed media. Comparable as a go-to-market channel and curatorial partner for the type of collectible design Bronze Age produces for Design Miami.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bronze Age Studio social profiles
Digital presenceBronze Age Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bronze Age Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Bronze Age Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bronze Age Studio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bronze Age Studio
What does Bronze Age Studio do?
Bronze Age Studio operates a creative studio and affiliated art foundry producing fine art bronze sculptures, architectural and interior design metalwork, and collectible design objects. Services span lost wax and sand casting, mould-making, patination, sculpture enlargement, and CNC fabrication, delivered for leading artists, architects, interior designers, galleries, and luxury hospitality clients. The NØDE sub-brand extends the offering to anodised aluminium furniture, hand-textured limited editions, and custom development.
Is Bronze Age Studio a public or private company?
Bronze Age Studio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bronze Age Studio founded?
Bronze Age Studio was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bronze Age Studio based?
Bronze Age Studio is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Bronze Age Studio make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Sculptural Commissions are the primary driver. The others are architectural and Interior Design Projects, NØDE Limited Edition Products, NØDE Product Range and foundry Services.
Who are Bronze Age Studio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BDDW, Cox London, Pangolin Editions, Walla Walla Foundry and Fonderia Artistica Battaglia. Broad incumbents are Christofle and Tom Dixon. Others are The Future Perfect, Southern Guild and Friedman Benda.
Does Bronze Age Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bronze Age Studio.
What industry is Bronze Age Studio in?
Bronze Age Studio's product category is Fine Art Foundry & Sculpture Studio. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFANAM, Specialty Finishes & Decorative Installations (Plaster, Stone Veneer, Feature Walls), with a secondary code of CRAKAIAJ, CAD/CAM, Wax Modeling & Prototyping Services. Its NAICS code is 332323 and its SIC code is 3360.