Metal Handicrafts: Engraving

Engraving is one of the ancient handicrafts of Iran that falls under the category of metalwork. Engraving is essentially the art of decorating and etching various designs and patterns on metal objects, especially copper, gold, silver, and brass, using a stylus and hammer strikes. In literal terms, it refers to the decoration and etching of patterns on metal objects, especially copper, gold, silver, and brass.

Engraving, which has a history of several thousand years, became prevalent during the Achaemenid period and reached its peak during the Sassanian period. Nowadays, for engraving, first the desired container or tray, usually made of silver or gold, is filled with a solution of pitch and gypsum to reduce the noise caused by the stylus. The artist also needs to prevent the container from getting pierced during the process. Then, they draw the desired design on the container, select an appropriate stylus, fix it on the surface of the container, and strike the tip of the stylus with a hammer to create grooves and patterns, depending on the intensity of the blow.

 

The History of Engraving in Iran

The origins of engraving are attributed to the Scythians, or Saka people, who were of Aryan descent. The history of the Hasanlu Gold Cup, discovered in 1957 and featuring prominent relief designs such as gods riding chariots, dates to the first millennium BC. The Marlik Gold Cups are also artifacts of this period’s engraving.

From the Medes era, which emerged in the 7th century BC in Iran, only a few remnants of engraving art have survived. With the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire, engraving art also underwent a transformation and influenced subsequent eras. This period is the pinnacle of metalworking art, but due to Alexander’s invasion and the burning of Persepolis, many artworks were destroyed, thrown away on Alexander’s orders, and turned into coins.

During the Sassanian period, from 224 to 650 DC, due to the expansion of trade between Iran, Greece, and Rome, Iranian art was influenced by Greek and Roman arts. The most common vessels of this period were trays on which Sassanids would engrave hunting scenes and royal ceremonies, such as gift-giving ceremonies.

 

Hasanlu Gold Cup

 

Art of Engraving in the Post-Islamic Period

In the early Islamic centuries, the Arabs imitated the Sassanid era’s art of engraving, and in the following centuries, due to Iranian artists’ interest in religion and their inclination towards Islam, native and mythological Iranian designs gradually gave way to Kufic lines, verses, and hadiths influenced by Islamic beliefs.

 

Sassanid Silver Dish

 

During the Seljuk period, the art of engraving, like other artistic disciplines, received support and expanded. Creating braided patterns, including bands in the decoration of common vessels, became prevalent. In this era, metal inlays using gold, copper, and silver wires, or embossing vessels with copper wire, became common. One of the most beautiful works of this period is metal lattice work. Seljuk vessels primarily possessed two characteristics: calligraphy and the use of Kufic script in engraving.

In the Mongol and Timurid periods, the inlay of vessels continued to be influenced by the Seljuk period. The use of calligraphy in engraving greatly expanded, and many vessels were made and decorated in this manner. With Timur’s invasion of Iran, Herat regained its artistic prominence and became the largest artistic center of that time. The art of engraving shone brightly in this city.

Seljuk Era Engraving

Silver embossing on metals reached its peak of development and perfection in the Safavid period. During this period, narrow-necked and engraved bowls became customary. In the Safavid era, calligraphy, particularly Nasta’liq script, was widely used in engraving.

 

Engraving Styles in Iran

There are three main engraving styles in Iran, including Shiraz, Tabriz, and Isfahan.

In the Shiraz style, the work is done using two methods: fine pen engraving, which was prevalent on copper and brass during the Safavid and Zand periods, and high relief or carving, which is still used today, even inspired by Achaemenid styles. It is mostly made in silver. The working process involves designing the piece, followed by the embossing, and finishing stages. This style mainly incorporates Achaemenid and Sassanid designs and floral motifs.

 

In the Tabriz style, wrist pressure is used, while in the Isfahan style, hammer strikes are employed. Hence, Tabriz engraving is smoother and goes less deep compared to Isfahan engraving.

Engraving in Isfahan also has two distinct styles known as “fine pen engraving” and “high relief engraving.” Isfahan artists have extensively practiced these styles in recent years.

The high relief style has deeper embossments and creates a three-dimensional effect. This style is used in the construction of shrines of Shia Imams.

 

Types of Engraving Techniques

High Relief Engraving:

In this type of engraving, the back of the workpiece is first coated with pitch, then the design is transferred onto the workpiece using carbon paper, and the design is fixed with a stylus. After fixing the design, the pitch is removed from the back of the workpiece, the processed surface is coated with pitch, and it is embossed using tools such as gouges, flat-faced styluses, and flat-bottom styluses.

Split lines on the back of the piece serve as a guide for calligraphy. After the embossing process is done, the pitch is returned to its initial position, and smoothing and background preparation are carried out.

Half Relief Engraving:

In this engraving technique, regular styluses are used instead of embossing tools, and instead of raising the design from the back, the background is lowered from the opposite side to reveal the processed surface.

Fine Pen Engraving:

In this method, the workpiece is designed after being pitch-coated, and then it is half-etched, smoothed, and backgrounds are created. It does not involve embossment and is mostly used for floral and arabesque motifs.

 

 Carving:

In this technique, instead of using multiple styluses, only one stylus is used to perform the engraving. Essentially, the metal is cut using a sharp stylus.

Lattice Work:

In this method, instead of creating backgrounds like in fine pen engraving or covering the background like in high relief engraving, the background is separated from the metal surface. This technique was commonly used in the construction of lanterns and places where water was intended to pass through.

Most of the metal products made in Iran in the past century are made of copper. Many of these products are made for daily use and are undecorated, with their main beauty lying in their shape. However, copper vessels that have greater artistic value are often the focus of craftsmen and artists such as engravers, embossers, and occasionally high relief artists. Isfahan has always been and still is one of the most important centers of engraving art in Iran. Currently, most of the handicraft workshops in Isfahan are engraving workshops for copper and brass, and the number of people working in this field is higher compared to other disciplines.

The scope of metalworking art in Iran is very broad and includes lattice work, which is done on objects such as lanterns, intricately designed and engraved copper and brass lampshades, bowls, vases, and bottle covers. The main materials used by copper and brass product makers are copper, brass, and their alloys.

The tools used by craftsmen in this field can be divided into two categories: tools used in the production stage of the products, such as bending machines, brushes, electric furnaces, anvils, and hammers. The other category includes tools needed in the engraving stage, such as pitch coating machines, engraving pens, various styluses, hammers, etc.

Execution Method:

For engraving, the back surface that is to be engraved is first covered with pitch to prevent the metal from deforming due to hammer strikes and pen pressure and to reduce noise. For pitch coating, solid pitch is melted in a pitch melting machine. Then, the melted pitch is applied layer by layer to the desired area to form a relatively thick layer. After the vessel has cooled down, white clay is applied to the engraved area to prepare it for design. This clay is used only to make the lines of the design more visible and is drawn on with a pencil. The designs for vessel engraving, which are mostly inspired by traditional patterns, are created in several ways:

 

• Directly drawing the design on the desired surface by the engraver, who also has skills in design.
• Drawing the design on paper and puncturing the main lines, then placing the punched parts of the paper on the work surface using a tool called “sombeh” (a pouch filled with coal powder or ink) and starting the engraving process.

Currently, in Isfahan, which is the most important center for the production and engraving of copper and brass, about 81% of engravers are both designers and executors, using about 7% of other people’s designs and purchased designs that are copied onto the vessel, and the remaining 12% are involved in minor engraving.

Once the designs and patterns are traced onto the work, the main lines are engraved using a tool called a “nimbor,” or stylus. Then, different metal styluses, traditionally called hasiri, ghalamgir, gorsavad, sombeh, yektu, nimvar, kolofti, kaftakht, etc., are used to fill in and decorate the backgrounds. The names of these styluses correspond to the engraved motifs on each of them. The styluses used in background filling include shooteh, gorsum, yektu, etc.

 

Some of the Styluses

Engraving can be done in different ways. If only line carving is desired by the craftsman, the process is relatively simple. They can easily give the lines a raised appearance by striking them with a hammer. However, in most cases, engraving on metal is done prominently or in a combination of raised and recessed patterns. In this case, the background sections of the design need to be struck and carved using special tools so that the raised lines remain visible.

Sometimes, the master engraver may need to engrave on both sides of the product to complete the work. In this case, after finishing the engraving on one side of the product, the pitch is removed and placed on the other side, and the engraving process is carried out. It is evident that in situations where, for example, engraving is done on a smooth object such as a tray, plate, or bowl, this process is easily done, and the craftsman will not face any difficulties.

However, if the object to be engraved has a curved or closed shape, such as narrow-necked vases, bowls, etc., craftsmen usually create a separate part that needs to be prominently displayed, attach it delicately to the work, and surround the part that is attached to the surface of the product with recessed patterns to avoid making the product unesthetic.

Arabesque Design

Sometimes, the engraver, based on necessity or personal taste, may engage in lattice work, inlay, or gold plating. The patterns used by engravers today are very diverse, and the most common ones include lattice work (which is a type of engraving), Islamic, Khatayi, Shah Abbasid floral motifs, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque motifs, carving, animal motifs, hunting motifs, etc.

 

Required Tools:

• Various pens, sometimes approaching 140 or more
• Different sizes of parchment
• Hammer
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Pitch melting machine

After completing all the engraving operations, the pitch is separated from the product using heat, and the remaining pitch residue is also cleaned with oil. Then, the engraved vessel is sent to the workshop of the metalworker for smoothing or polishing, and if it has separate parts, it is taken to the workshop for fitting and soldering. The soldering is done at this stage using a lead alloy so that the soldered parts match the background color of the vessel, and the polishing is done with a wooden hammer, or a hammer covered with leather to smooth and level the vessel, which may have become raised or recessed during the engraving process.

After smoothing and attaching the parts, the vessel is sent to the polishing workshop and cleaned with soap using a brush, and then a special type of wax or soot is used for finishing the work. Until about twenty years ago, polishing was done entirely by hand, but now it is also done using a brush machine.

The final and finishing stage of the work is blackening, which is done in the engraving workshop. In this process, the engraved surfaces are coated with a mixture of soot and wax in a way that fills all the recessed parts of the mixture. Then, the surface of the work is polished using pieces of clean cloth, which brings out the engraved details in black while the raised parts remain in the original color of the vessel, which, of course, enhances the visibility and beauty of the design lines, resulting in a more aesthetic product.

Currently, in addition to Isfahan, where copper and brass engraving has exceptional prominence, engraving on copper is also common and prevalent in the cities of Tehran, Tabas, and Kermanshah.

Stages of Silver Engraving:

The production and engraving of silver objects have a long history in Iran, and currently, groups of artists are engaged in this field in the cities of Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Tehran.

Characteristics of silver production and silver engraving in the mentioned cities are as follows:

Shiraz:

Shiraz has been a major center for silver production and engraving since ancient times, but the decrease in the number of silversmiths along with the high cost of silver have resulted in a decline in this industry. In engraving workshops, craftsmen usually visualize the design mentally and engrave it on the product without using a template. They then use a hammer and iron stylus to engrave the design. Craftsmen usually make the stylus themselves.

Isfahan:

Silver making and engraving in Isfahan, like other common handicrafts in the city, have a remarkable historical background and prominence. The number of craftsmen in this field is higher compared to other cities, and naturally, the production rate is also higher.

Tabriz:

Although the art of silversmithing in Tabriz has a long history, it does not currently have the same prominence as in the past. The main reasons for this decline are the shortage of silversmiths, increasing wages, and the high cost of silver.

 

Engraving – Isfahan Style

Silver Engraving – Shiraz Style

 

Engraving by hand – Tabriz style

Silver engraving is carried out in two stages and in two separate workshops:

• Construction Workshop
• Engraving Workshop

Construction Workshop:

The raw material needed for silversmiths is 84% pure silver, which is available in the form of sheets, silver coins, and antique objects. First, the silver is melted and formed into ingots. The ingots are then rolled into silver sheets using a rolling mill, and then they are cut and soldered to the desired sizes using scissors. They shape it as desired with a hammer. The objects made in these workshops include tea sets, vases, candle holders, boxes, bowls, sugar bowls, picture frames, etc.

Engraving Workshop:

After the product is made, it is taken to the engraving workshop. In the engraving workshop, craftsmen first visualize the design and engrave it on the product without using a template. They then use a hammer and an iron stylus to engrave it. The styluses are usually made by the craftsmen themselves. After engraving, the product is returned to the workshop for polishing and finishing, and after this stage, it is delivered to the customer.

The tools used by silversmiths and silver engravers include various files, scissors, drills, molds, metal styluses, bow saws, hammers, anvils, compasses, wooden tables, various clamps, and polishing wheels. The working method is the same as described for copper and brass production and engraving.

Compiled by: Pars Forte Quarterly Editorial Board