Beginning in the Renaissance, bronzes were finished with an essentially monochromatic patination; this bronze treatment is still prevalent today. Notwithstanding, most ancient sculptures were polychromatic. Following the Barbarian invasion, many polychrome bronze and marble sculptures were lost, only to be discovered many centuries later when the paint had almost completely disappeared, allowing corrosion and oxidation to take place. This process could be rightly defined as "natural patination".

This finish would be soon be imitated by the artists of the 15th and 17th centuries.