Book Biren Technique, Silversmithing Engraving

Language: Greek

Pages: 116

Some time before printing with movable type was invented, books and illustrations were printed using the technique of wood engraving. This technique involved carving the lines of the design in reverse onto a frame made of hard wood (pearwood or a forest hardwood).

This art form is called woodcut (xylography), from the Greek term “writing on wood.” With the arrival of movable type printing, wood engraving was used mainly for book illustrations, and for over four centuries it evolved into various styles and pictorial representations—until photography and other photo-mechanical techniques took over for just a little more than a century.

Wood engraving—xylography—flourished simultaneously in Italy, Germany, and France. The most beautiful illustrated books were printed in the Florentine and Venetian print houses in the 15th century. The technique of woodcut printing is simple. The artist draws the design in reverse on a woodblock and then carefully carves out the areas that should not receive ink, leaving the outlines and other features raised. To do this, the artist uses various tools that are either purpose-made (like chisels, gouges for furniture) or simply what they find suitable. It wasn’t rare for some woodcut engravers to carve their blocks with just a penknife.

Standard printing inks were applied with a typographic rubber roller ("goma") to the inkable areas of the carved block.

Printing was done either by hand pressure, or using a rounded ivory rod, or later by mechanical means such as presses or conventional printing machines. A major refinement of the technique was the use of multiple woodblocks, each separately inked and carved for multicolor printing. The Chinese and Japanese practiced woodcut printing on silk or paper for centuries. In fact, many woodcut rollers were found in old tombs.

A contrasting engraving method to woodcut is known as burin engraving, done with a graver (burin)—the primary skill of the jewelry engraver.

With this technique, the artist does not use raised surfaces, but rather the recessed grooves made by the burin. It is always performed on metal (copper or steel). The artist uses gravers made of iron or hardened steel to carve the design deeply into the metal surface. Ink is then applied to the surface and wiped off, remaining only inside the engraved grooves. Next, a wet sheet of paper is pressed either mechanically (with a press) or manually with a rubber roller, transferring the ink from the grooves to the paper.

This technique is credited to the Florentine goldsmith Maso Finiguerra (1426–1464). As we will see later, engraving in goldsmithing served and still serves a decorative function. It was heavily used in the ornamentation of military uniforms and their accessories. Finiguerra succeeded in transferring a decoration he engraved onto a garment. Before filling the grooves with enamel, he coated them with oil and soot, pressed the cloth onto them, and saw that the design had been printed on the fabric.

Later, new techniques emerged to replace the old ones, such as mezzotint (or manière noire in French), aquatint, lithography, etc. These are general remarks about engraving and its uses.

The engraver in silversmithing and goldsmithing uses engraving to define the object that he is to intervene on or decorate. He does not reproduce images, except in special cases. A fundamental principle of this craft is to ensure the clearest visual connection between the buyer and the object. Borrowing from a poet’s saying—“that which is too fake is too much, and that which is too little is shy”—we must find the golden mean, a challenge in any artistic craft.

The gravers used by the jewelry engraver are the same as those used by reproduction artists, but due to the nature of the objects, more types of gravers are employed—typically decorative ones. A skilled engraver must know how to draw, and use the appropriate graver for the best artistic result. The gravers used in various sizes include:

• A: OGKELLA
• B: HALF-ROUND
• C: FLAT or DECORATIVE
• D: SQUARE
• E: BEVELLED
• F: KNIFE or BLADE
• G: CUTTING TOOL
• H: RHOMBUS
• Θ: ALMOND-SHAPED or OVAL
• I: LINED or RIBBED

In addition to these, the goldsmith engraver may use other auxiliary tools as needed.

Typically, the engraver works with individual clients, engraving names, monograms, zodiac signs, or symbols of origin (e.g., tourist motifs), as well as religious themes. However, the knowledge of engraving tools goes beyond that. A trained professional may use these skills in other related fields like stone setting, wax modeling, or metal forming.

The graver is a fundamental tool in jewelry making, and mastering it offers immense benefits—just like any tool mastered by an artist. Those involved in this profession must recognize that it is a fusion of many micro-art forms, not just a means of making a living.