Design en Suite
Lost wax casting is an ancient technique. It is a simple concept: the object to be cast is first modeled in hard wax. The model is encased in clay and fired in the kiln. The wax burns out and leaves a cavity in the shape of the model. Into the cavity, molten silver is poured, which when cooled is exposed by breaking the clay away.
The four spoons with twig and leaf stems are excellent examples of the technique, and clearly are products of the same maker. There are two different stem designs and three different flowers.
The spoons in the bottom row are also the work of a single maker. Six different bowl designs are shown, all formed by the lost wax method. There are at least four different finial shapes. I have seen many different scenes depicted on the finials of this family.
All these spoons share a unique feature: the front surface of the plique is matte, and the back surfaces are fire polished.
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