Chasing (Metalworking)

Chasing is a metalworking technique in which a design is refined and sharpened on the front surface of a metal object by hammering it with specialized punches, without removing any metal. It is most often used together with repousse, in which a design is first hammered into relief from the reverse side of a sheet of metal; chasing then works from the front, pushing the metal back around the edges of the raised design to define its outline and add fine surface detail that reverse-side hammering alone cannot achieve. Practiced together since antiquity on gold, silver, copper and bronze, repousse and chasing form the traditional method for producing detailed low-relief metal ornament, vessels and sculpture without casting or removing material.