Openwork

Openwork

Openwork or open-work is a term in <a href="/en/Art_history" title="Art history" class="wl">art history</a>, <a href="/en/Architecture" title="Architecture" class="wl">architecture</a> and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, leather, or <a href="/en/Ivory" title="Ivory" class="wl">ivory</a>.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> Such techniques have been very widely used in a great number of cultures.

<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Openwork_basket,_Bow,_c._1754-1755,_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Openwork_basket,_Bow,_c._1754-1755,_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG/220px-Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="3293" data-file-height="3204" data-file-type="bitmap" height="214" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG/330px-Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG/440px-Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG 2x" alt="Openwork_basket%2C_Bow%2C_c._1754-1755%2C_soft-paste_porcelain_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_DSC07694.JPG"></a><figcaption>Openwork basket, English <a href="/en/Bow_porcelain" title="Bow porcelain" class="mw-redirect wl">Bow porcelain</a>, c. 1754–1755</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG/220px-Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="1644" data-file-height="633" data-file-type="bitmap" height="85" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG/330px-Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG/440px-Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG 2x" alt="Hoxne_Hoard_Juliane_bracelet.JPG"></a><figcaption>Ancient Roman gold bracelet from the <a href="/en/Hoxne_Hoard" title="Hoxne Hoard" class="wl">Hoxne Hoard</a>. JULIANE is spelled out in <a href="/en/Opus_interrasile" title="Opus interrasile" class="wl">opus interrasile</a> openwork.<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a></figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg/220px-Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2576" data-file-height="1932" data-file-type="bitmap" height="165" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg/330px-Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg/440px-Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg 2x" alt="Sidi_Saiyyad_Ni_Jaali.jpg"></a><figcaption>Intricate <a href="/en/Jali" title="Jali" class="wl">jalis</a> from the <a href="/en/Sidi_Saiyyed_mosque" title="Sidi Saiyyed mosque" class="mw-redirect wl">Sidi Saiyyed mosque</a> in <a href="/en/Ahmedabad" title="Ahmedabad" class="wl">Ahmedabad</a>, India. <a href="/en/File:An_exquisite_carving_inside_the_Sidi_Saiyyed_Mosque.JPG" title="File:An exquisite carving inside the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque.JPG" class="wl">From the inside</a></figcaption></figure>

The term is rather flexible, and used both for additive techniques that build up the design, as for example most large features in architecture, and those that take a plain material and make cuts or holes in it. Equally techniques such as <a href="/en/Casting" title="Casting" class="wl">casting</a> using <a href="/en/Molding_(process)" title="Molding (process)" class="wl">moulds</a> create the whole design in a single stage, and are common in openwork. Though much openwork relies for its effect on the viewer seeing right through the object, some pieces place a different material behind the openwork as a background.

Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, leather, or ivory.  Such techniques have been very widely used in a great number of cultures. The term is rather flexible, and used both for additive techniques that build up the design, as for example most large features in architecture, and those that take a plain material and make cuts or holes in it. Equally techniques such as casting using moulds create the whole design in a single stage, and are common in openwork. Though much openwork relies for its effect on the viewer seeing right through the object, some pieces place a different material behind the openwork as a background. 