Chasing is a metalworking technique of adding detail to the surface of metal chasing and is used to refine the design on the front of the work after the repousse forms the design.
Repoussé is a technique in which a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in relief.
There are few techniques that offer such diversity of expression while still being relatively economical.
The techniques of repoussé and chasing utilise the plasticity of metal, forming shapes by degrees. There is no loss of metal in the process, as it is stretched locally and the surface remains continuous. The process is relatively slow, but a maximum of form is achieved, with one continuous surface of sheet metal of essentially the same thickness. Direct contact of the tools used is usually visible in the result, a condition not always apparent in other techniques, where all evidence of the working method is eliminated.
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