‘The story of the use of the drill in European sculpture has not yet been written, although it should be fascinating’, stated Rudolph Wittkower in 1970 in Cambridge, where he was invited to give a series of lectures on the processes and principles of sculpture as Slade Professor. Following his intuition, the volume for which co-funding is requested presents case studies of the use of the drill, ranging from Ancient Egypt to the beginning of the twentieth century. Conceived as a catalogue to an ideal exhibition, it illustrates various objects for whose creation the use of this tool was particularly significant. Organized in chronological progression, these are not limited to statues and bas-reliefs, but also include architectural decorations, gems and other objects in a range of materials (marble, clay, wood, ivory etc.). This variety highlights the extraordinary challenge faced over several millennia by the drill in its numerous forms (bow drills, gimlets, wheels, violin drills), which did not undergo any significant technological transformations until the advent of electricity. This tool, more so than any other, tackled the sculptural materials in their hardness, penetrating them, splitting them and manipulating them beyond any apparent limitation set by nature.
The Drill in Sculpture
Lucia Simonato
2021
Abstract
‘The story of the use of the drill in European sculpture has not yet been written, although it should be fascinating’, stated Rudolph Wittkower in 1970 in Cambridge, where he was invited to give a series of lectures on the processes and principles of sculpture as Slade Professor. Following his intuition, the volume for which co-funding is requested presents case studies of the use of the drill, ranging from Ancient Egypt to the beginning of the twentieth century. Conceived as a catalogue to an ideal exhibition, it illustrates various objects for whose creation the use of this tool was particularly significant. Organized in chronological progression, these are not limited to statues and bas-reliefs, but also include architectural decorations, gems and other objects in a range of materials (marble, clay, wood, ivory etc.). This variety highlights the extraordinary challenge faced over several millennia by the drill in its numerous forms (bow drills, gimlets, wheels, violin drills), which did not undergo any significant technological transformations until the advent of electricity. This tool, more so than any other, tackled the sculptural materials in their hardness, penetrating them, splitting them and manipulating them beyond any apparent limitation set by nature.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
