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How did early craftspeople shape metal before casting became common?
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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.
Before casting became a standard practice, early craftspeople relied primarily on the hammer to shape decorative metalwork. Because soldering had not yet been invented, individual components were hammered out separately and joined together using rivets or by pinning them onto a solid core.1
The process of shaping metal involved several key techniques:
- Cold-working and Annealing: Metals like copper were shaped by hammering while cold, which hardened the material. However, repeated hammering made the metal brittle. To restore its ductility and allow for further shaping, craftspeople used annealing—a process of heating the metal and then cooling it.23
- Hammering into Molds: Beyond free-hand work, craftspeople also shaped soft metal by beating it into appropriately formed rock cavities or molds.2
- Punching: Goldsmiths and other artisans used the hammer and punch to wrought intricate designs into precious metals.1
Even after casting techniques were developed, the hammer remained the primary instrument for creating art in precious metals, as it allowed for detailed, manual craftsmanship.1