Embossing @museum.de

Turning flat into round! When sheet metal is beaten, or embossed, it's handled with force and sensitivity and given a dome-like shape – creating a semi-circular bowl, for example, or a fruit bowl with a wavy rim.

Two things are required: a ball peen hammer and a concave base that determines the ultimate shape of the sheet metal. Plus, of course, a great deal of experience.

The flat sheet is placed on the embossing base and then hammered, always starting from the centre and working out towards the edges. The metal sinks into the hollow, but quickly develops wrinkles that immediately need to be smoothed out. The rounded head of the hammer, the peen, is then used to force the sheet further into the hollow. The metal grows thinner and thinner, and highly stressed areas form along the outer edge. The craftsman mustn't lose sight of those. In the end, if all goes well, you find yourself holding a nicely shaped bowl or serving dish.