Taking the Mystery Out of Ancient Metal Techniques

Ellen Buie Niewyk, Curator of the Jerry Bywaters Collection on Art of the Southwest, Hamon Arts Library, SMU Ms. Niewyk will demonstrate how the Etruscans made jewelry by beginning with a small silver ingot. She will show how the ingot is formed into a flat sheet which can then be used for repoussé, a decorative technique used on the reverse side of the metal by hammering out the basic designs, and chasing, a technique used on the front of the metal to refine the overall design of the piece. She will also demonstrate how wire is formed from silver sheet and used for chain making. Granulation, a technique using small spheres fused to metal for decorative purposes, will also be discussed. Meet in the exhibition, From the Temple and the Tomb; the demonstration will take place in the Bob and Jean Smith Auditorium