[TheForge] Fw: [SCA-AS] Hammering Techniques in Greek and Roman Jewellery and Toreutics

[marilyn traber 011221]

This is a review of a couple of books that might be of interest to historical 
metalworkers, written by Master Magnus (the reviews, not the books), a friend 
with a great interest in and knowledge of all sorts of Medieval and tradional 
handicrafts and skills. Please take a minute to check out the reviews- both 
books look like they'd have some wonderful information for the right people ;-
)

Frosty, please sent this along to the Sandbox, Paul, I'm not asking you to 
get these for me, this is information only.

Phlip


Hammering Techniques in Greek and Roman Jewellery and Toreutics

A couple of jewelry and casting books I have bought:

Involves using punches and matrices and patrices to form complex 
stampings/forms for hammering of jewelry and rhytons,
includes mentions of wooden patrices found inside such things.
Many photographs of originals. A patrice is a positive mold
to form things over, while a matice is a female negative mold
to force the metal down into. While punches were used some of
the time as illustrated in this book, a common method was to
lay a sheet of lead on top of the metal sheet you wished to
form on top of the matrix/patrix and hammer the lead until it
forces the sheet metal into every corner of the thick forming
dies [matrix/patrix], and then pulling them apart, trimming
the metal and using it for dress accessories [as in sewn on]
or for a piece of a larger part of jewelry. The fancy plates
as on the Vendel/Valsgarde/Sutton Hoo helmets were formed
this way over thick bronze patrices. This book simply illustrates
and discusses the techniques used prior to the migration age,
and those techniques survived for quite a while afterwards.

Hargrave, James [Edited by] & Treister, Mikhail Yu:
Hammering Techniques in Greek and Roman Jewellery and Toreutics 
(Colloquia 	Pontica, 8);  2001; Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers, 
Leiden, Netherlands; Octavo, 650 pp. Hardcover, ISBN: 9004121501

New. ordered from France - US$ 92.72 including shipping.
[Lists currently for $307.15, Amazon has it for about $265 + shipping.]
This is the same guy I bought mine from. Shipping via airmail is about 
18 Euros, not 11.
The guy can't read English well, at least not any better than I can
read French.
<http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?
ac=sl&st=sl&qi=byB9rM0tNrPOrq.UI,WlQ0lng0I_6988254470_1:65:470>
Multiple listings so you can compare prices:
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?
author=&title=Hammering+Techniques+in+Greek+and+Roman+Jewellery+and+Toreutics&
submit=Begin+search&new_used=*&binding=*&isbn=&keywords=&minprice=&maxprice=&c
urrency=USD&mode=advanced&st=sr&ac=qr
Treister has written multiple books, mostly in other languages.
Hargrave apparently translated this one with him.
.......................................................................
BTW. Art of the Houma Foundry is on sale,
down from $175. I got mine from Australia, although it is printed
at Princetown, for about $65 a few years back. If casting in sand
appeals to you this is one of the most wonderful books ever written
on the ancient Chinese techniques, styles, molds, etc. Once I saw
one I had to have one. Fantastic book actually. Involves multiple
pieced molds. Very complicated castings and very refined art styles.

 From bookfinder.com where you will see it listed for very much more too.

Art of the Houma Foundry
by Li Xiating and Liang Ziming 	
Bookseller:
The David Brown Book Company http;//www.oxbowbooks.com/
(Oakville, CT, U.S.A.) 	Book Price:
US$ 69.97
Description: Art of the Houma Foundry is an illustrated repertory of 
archaeological finds made at the site of a sixth-to fifth-century B.C. 
bronze foundry located at modern Houma in Shanxi Province, P.R.C. In the 
sixth and fifth centuries Houma was the capital of the state of Jin, a 
major power in China at the time. The excavation of the foundry site, 
the largest known in the ancient world, was important above all for the 
spectacular wealth of decorated clay foundry-debris that was recovered 
there. The debris throws valuable light on the very complex casting 
processes used at Houma; still more valuable is the evidence it provides 
for the varieties of decoration employed at the foundry. Bronzes 
unearthed at many different places in China, decorated with an immense 
variety of designs, can now be connected with Houma on the evidence of 
the foundry debris. This book presents 1,200 of the most notable pieces 
of decorated foundry debris in photographs and drawings. Though 
unearthed more than thirty years ago, most of this material has never 
been published. Art of the Houma Foundry makes available to art 
historians, archaeologists, and museum curators an archive of 
unparalleled richness for one of the major art styles of ancient China. 
544p, illus. (Princeton UP 1996). 0691011370. Hardback. Bookseller 
Inventory # 15393H
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Binding: Hardcover

Magnus


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