pierced work

pierced work, in metalwork, perforations created for decorative or functional effect or both; the French term for such work is ajouré. Both hand-operated and mechanical tools such as saws, drills, chisels, and punches are used. The principal present-day exponents of this ancient technique are perhaps Asiatic Indian craftsmen. In European metalwork—apart from its functional and decorative use on handles, lids, covers, finials, and the like—pierced work is most often associated with such articles as locks and keys, iron and steel caskets, and guns, as well as with jewelry and other small objects. In the 18th century, however, it enjoyed a period of great popularity, when certain pieces of domestic silver—for example, cake baskets, sugar basins, and coasters—consisted almost entirely of intricate pierced-work patterns. A new tool was developed in order to pierce Sheffield plate in this manner. See also opus interassile.