Lesson Objectives
- Students will create a low relief image in metal (silver foil) using the process of repoussé
- Student will be able to determine the difference between organic and geometric shapes and use a variety of both.
- Students will create a design that will be rendered on both a 2D surface and a 3D surface
Geometric vs. organic shapes
Metal Tooling/Repousse History
Repoussé, method of decorating metals in which parts of the design are raised in relief from the back or the inside of the article by means of hammers and punches; definition and detail can then be added from the front by chasing or engraving. The name repoussé is derived from the French pousser, “to push forward.” This ancient technique, which has been used extensively throughout the history of metalworking, achieved widespread popularity in Europe during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. (http://www.britannica.com/art/repousse) Another name used for this technique is called tooling.
Tea pots and tea services, coffee pots, vases, metal plates and decorative chargers, pendants, buckles, bangles, and other decorative objects have for centuries been made using the repousse technique. A craftsman working in repousse stamps a design into a soft metal, like gold, silver, or copper from the back of the work piece. The craftsman uses a variety of tool shapes and sizes, and special hammers. The workpiece is embedded in a hard wax to facilitate efficient energy transfer of the hammer blows to the metal. After the repousse design is imparted to the work, the front side may be chased or engraved to enhance the design. (https://oleklejbzon.com/repousse-chasing.html)
Repousse is an ancient form of art that can be found in Early Greek and Roman art through today. It was used to decorate metal items, in jewelry, and for weapons and armor. The first great advance in metalworking occurred when techniques for making bronze sculpture were developed
during the Bronze Age. Brass, an alloy of copper with zinc, came into use later (see brasses, monumental; brasses, ornamental). The Iron Age provided a cheaper medium used chiefly for tools and ornamental ironwork until modern times, when improved methods, alloys, and machinery made iron available and essential to the industrial and structural trades. Pewter, tin, and lead have been used in industrial and art metalwork.
Methods of shaping metals include drawing, spinning, hammering, and casting; various decorative processes include chasing, damascening, embossing, enamel work, filigree, gilding, inlaying, niello, and repousse. (http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/M/metalwor.html)
Tea pots and tea services, coffee pots, vases, metal plates and decorative chargers, pendants, buckles, bangles, and other decorative objects have for centuries been made using the repousse technique. A craftsman working in repousse stamps a design into a soft metal, like gold, silver, or copper from the back of the work piece. The craftsman uses a variety of tool shapes and sizes, and special hammers. The workpiece is embedded in a hard wax to facilitate efficient energy transfer of the hammer blows to the metal. After the repousse design is imparted to the work, the front side may be chased or engraved to enhance the design. (https://oleklejbzon.com/repousse-chasing.html)
Repousse is an ancient form of art that can be found in Early Greek and Roman art through today. It was used to decorate metal items, in jewelry, and for weapons and armor. The first great advance in metalworking occurred when techniques for making bronze sculpture were developed
during the Bronze Age. Brass, an alloy of copper with zinc, came into use later (see brasses, monumental; brasses, ornamental). The Iron Age provided a cheaper medium used chiefly for tools and ornamental ironwork until modern times, when improved methods, alloys, and machinery made iron available and essential to the industrial and structural trades. Pewter, tin, and lead have been used in industrial and art metalwork.
Methods of shaping metals include drawing, spinning, hammering, and casting; various decorative processes include chasing, damascening, embossing, enamel work, filigree, gilding, inlaying, niello, and repousse. (http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/M/metalwor.html)
