INTRODUCTION
THE Making of Jewelry is an ancient art, and may be traced to a very remote period, not only by examples, of which there are many, but through ancient writings. Abundant examples of goldsmiths’ work have been found in Egyptian tombs dating as far back as the fifteenth century B.C. The Bible has many references to the use of jewelry.
The goldsmiths’ craft, as practiced centuries ago, has many attractive features that may be adapted or applied to the craft work of the present time. The possibilities for the application of design are unlimited. With no other material can more satisfactory results be obtained in the finished piece of work than with that employed by the goldsmith. No other craft calls for such skill in the handling of the materials used, or so keen a sense of fine line and proportion in design.
Jewelry comprises various objects for personal adornment, rendered precious by their workmanship. In the form of rings and pendants, jewelry may be merely decorative, or in the form of brooches and pins, it may be useful as well. The making of jewelry cultivates an appreciation of this ancient art. To acquire the keenest sense of appreciation for the fine jewelry of ancient or modern times, one must study the designs as expressed in the work, and practice the art. The knowledge derived from actual practice is both cultural and practical. It not only helps to develop the artistic impulse and make the individual sensitive to the beauty of nature as applied to metal, but it also arouses interest in the metal industries and the commercial processes allied with the manufacture of jewelry on a large scale, such as mining, assaying and alloying.
The pieces of jewelry most prized by our museums today are those made centuries ago, where cleverness in design and workmanship were of much greater value than the material used.
Many craftsmen design in the material, feeling their way along without a drawing, but, as Benvenuto Cellini says, “Though many have practiced the art without making drawings, those who made their drawings first did the best work.”
In school work we have our attention called very often to the work of architects, sculptors, painters and engineers, but mention is seldom made of those who have worked in metal, even though their work represents some of the finest moments in the history of mankind. Few know that Tubal Cain was the first metal worker of whom we have any record, or that Bezaleel of the Tribe of Judah and Oholiab of the Tribe of Dan were the goldsmiths who made the sacred jewels and vessels for the tabernacle. The names of Mentor, Acrages, Stratonicus, Unichus, and Hecataeus are unknown to many, but these are the men who produced the superb Greek specimens in metal, many of which are now to be seen in our museums. During the middle ages, it was the custom for each of the kings of France to have his goldsmith. Gilbert Lorin was goldsmith to Charles the Seventh, Jehan Gallant to Charles the Eighth, and Henri to Louis the Twelfth. Few know that our honored patriot, Paul Revere, was a worker in the precious metals.
At the beginning, jewelry making occupied a jealous and important position in the field of the goldsmiths’ craft. As early as the Twelfth Century, the goldsmiths of Florence made articles of great variety to answer multifarious needs of a sensitive people. Articles in silver and gold for church services, and for household and personal use, challenged the skills and ingenuity of the creative artist.
The demands for everyday needs called for a great variety of materials, such as gold, silver, bronze, marble, wood and clay. The Florentine craftsman knew all the intricate processes of casting, hammering, chiseling, filing, sawing, and carving. Not infrequently the commission involved a synthesizing of metals and textiles, as in a brocade, or of stone and painting, as in mosaic—and jewelry setting. There being intense commercial rivalry in those days, ipso facto, the craftsman was compelled to resort to astute design and ingenuity for originality and economy of production. For aesthetic quality to be of the highest, he employed the principles of design with complete under-standing and superlative mastery. Skillful use of form, color, composition, perspective, harmony, taste, and beauty, gave to technical performance, grandeur and sumptuousness.
Scientific knowledge, technical skill, and aesthetic conception made up a large part of the craftsman’s equipment. With this he stood in readiness to challenge all difficulties. It is, indeed, little wonder to the research scholar that the training and education of the Florentine goldsmith constituted such a complete cosmos of experiences, knowledge, and skills. To this craftsman no order was too small or any difficulty too great.
To the scholar searching for what made Florentine art great, history reveals that its painters, sculptors and architects were, or had been, goldsmiths. History tells that Orcagna, 1349, listed as a painter was a Florentine goldsmith; that Ghiberti, the builder of the Paradise Doors,
so called, was a goldsmith; that Brunelleschi, although he spent much time building palaces and churches, was a veritable goldsmith. Each was a goldsmith but, as it happens, the first is classified as a painter, the second as a sculptor, and the third as an architect. To these may be added Donatello, famous as sculptor, but trained as a goldsmith. Then, Verrocchio, equally famous with Donatello as sculptor was also an accomplished goldsmith. The name of
Ghirlandajo should be linked with Donatello, as goldsmith, for in the shops of these two, history records that the great Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo served their apprenticeships as craftsmen. The list of such illustrious craftsmen would not be complete without the name of the inimitable masterworker of metals, Benvenuto Cellini.
To him Michaelangelo wrote, “My dear Benvenuto: I have known you for many years as the greatest goldsmith of whom we-have any information; and henceforth I shall know you for a sculptor of like quality.”
The Florentine craftsman, be he goldsmith, jeweler, weaver, potter, iron or woodworker, was a highly disciplined person. Mastery, thoroughness, skillfulness, and general efficiency marked these craftsmen as important members of the community.
We have limited our discussion to Italian masters, but it would be wrong to conclude that the goldsmith-painter-sculptor-architect relationship was not to be found elsewhere. Two outstanding examples of this relationship are Albrecht Durer, in Germany, and William Hogarth, in England, both of whom served as apprentices in goldsmith shops.
It would not be overrating the virtues inherent in the nature of jewelry making as a craft to say that as a means and form of education it is very rich in opportunities for fostering good work habits and sound mental disciplines.