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How did Roman craftspeople create openwork designs in gold using opus interassile?
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metalwork
Warrior and attendants plaque, brass relief sculpture by Edo artists in the court of the kingdom of Benin (now Nigeria), 16th–17th century; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
In Roman metalwork, opus interassile was a specialized technique used to create intricate openwork designs on gold surfaces.12
Craftspeople achieved this effect by piercing tiny holes into a flat or curved metal surface to form decorative motifs. This process resulted in a delicate, lacelike appearance, making it particularly well-suited for creating nonrepresentational patterns such as arabesques.231
Widely utilized during the 3rd century CE, the technique was frequently employed to decorate various items, including jewelry and the large wheels found on loop-in-loop chains. By removing small sections of the metal to create these voids, Roman goldsmiths were able to transform solid gold sheets into highly detailed, ornamental pieces.13