This paper is part of my Ph.D. project Ingenious craftsmanship: a performative and art historical study of gold and silversmithing in sixteenth-century Antwerp, which aims to unravel the cultural and technical processes of early modern objects of precious metals, using the innovative research method of Reconstruction, Replication, and Re-enactment (RRR). Trained as an art historian and goldsmith, I select and remake several key components and techniques of these Antwerp-made objects. The goal is not to create exact replicas, but to unveil the levels of craftsmanship and skill displayed in the sixteenth-century gold and silverware, as I contend that the value of these luxury products was not only defined by their intrinsic value but also by their high level of craftsmanship.
One of the techniques for which the early modern Antwerp silversmiths were renowned and which made their objects widely sought after was chasing and repoussé, two methods used to decorate the metal. This was done by pushing the metal into relief by hammering on the front and back, using a punch to create intricate details and texture. This technique is complex, specialized, and an example of tacit knowledge. By feeling and listening to how each punch hits the metal, the silversmith learns how deep the metal is pushed in relief, and when it is time to stop hammering and to anneal the metal to avoid breaking or overworking. These skills are impossible to fully transmit by the written word and are mastered by observation, imitation, and practice. Therefore, I argue that the materiality and complexity of this technique cannot be fully understood without experiencing its making process.
This paper is the result of an extensive workshop by a master silversmith that I attended to observe, learn, and understand the technique of chasing and repoussé. Since there exist no early modern Antwerp manuals describing this technique, this research will combine an up-close visual inspection of sixteenth-century Antwerp objects, with the master-pupil knowledge transfer, making the invisible making process of these objects visible. Furthermore, the experimental approach aims to generate new information on artistic collaboration within the early modern workshop, the technical gestures of the silversmith, the sensory experience, and the tacit knowledge embodied in this technique.
Keywords
Gold and silversmithing art
Reconstruction, Replication, and Re-enactment
History of craftsmanship
Early modern period
Performative research methods
Hanne Schonkeren (°1995) – hanne.schonkeren@vub.be
PhD Candidate - Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) – funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).
Research group Histories of Art, Architecture and Visual Culture (VISU).
PhD project: Ingenious craftsmanship: a performative and art historical study of gold and silversmithing in sixteenth-century Antwerp, supervised by prof. Pieter Martens (VUB), prof. Tine Meganck (VUB) and prof. Sven Dupré (UU).
https://visu.research.vub.be/hanne-schonkeren
"This paper explores the specialized silversmithing technique s of chasing and repoussé, for which the sixteenth century Antwerp silversmiths were renowned, using the innovative research method Reconstruction, Replication, and Re enactment (RRR) Th ese technical skills cannot be transferred by the written word but are mastered by observation, imitation, and practice. B y participating in a hands on workshop by a master silversmith I intended to learn and understand the making process . T h is experimental approach aims to generate new information on artistic collaboration within the early modern workshop, the technical gestures of the silversmith, the sensory experience, and the tacit knowledge embodied in th ese technique s ."