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How small were the gold balls used in ancient granulation?
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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 the decorative art of granulation, ancient goldsmiths utilized minute gold balls to create intricate geometric or linear patterns on metal surfaces. These gold spheres were exceptionally small, with diameters ranging from 1/60 to 1/180 of an inch.1