Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
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GIOVANNI RASPINI
NUMERO 30
La Gazette
GIOVANNI RASPINI
10
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IL PUNTO DI
GIOVANNI E CLAUDIO
LUXURY LIFE
L ARCHIVIO BULGARI
di Giovanni Raspini e
Claudio Arati
NUMERO
30
AUTUNNO-INVERNO 2010
ti dir il rospo
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Voltaire
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CARLO GIULIANO
IL MESTIERE DELLORAFO
NUOVI PRODOTTI
INTERVISTA A IVAN
THEIMER
di Pierangelo Mazzeschi
di Claudio Arati
di Giovanni Raspini
IL PUNTO
DI GIOVANNI E CLAUDIO
Siamo arrivati alla Gazette numero 30. Sono passati dieci anni
da quelle due sparute paginette che si spedivano ai nostri clienti.
Bene. Oggi il nostro giornale (che bella parola giornale se lo
chiamiamo Company Magazine o House Organ, fate bene a
tirarci una sassata) si stampa in ventimila copie e si manda al giro
per il mondo in quindici paesi stranieri.
Un saluto particolare ai nostri lettori tedeschi che ci sono
particolarmente affezionati. In teoria si dovrebbe parlare della
ditta, dei prodotti, delle nuove iniziative. Ok. Piucchegiusto. Il
lavoro va bene, i nuovi prodotti tutti super e le iniziative azzeccate,
as usual. Abbiamo voglia di parlare di due persone amiche per le
quali sentiamo stima, affetto e gratitudine.
La prima Anna Bulgari Calissoni. Era la met degli anni 70 quando
Giovanni, ancora studente universitario, andava in Via Condotti,
allo studio della signora Bulgari, a portare oggetti in argento con
punzoni inediti o sconosciuti da catalogare ed inserire nellArchivio
Bulgari. Dopo anni di collaborazione, come potete leggere pi
oltre, lArchivio Bulgari stato donato allUniversit di Siena,
presso la Facolt di Lettere di Arezzo. Uno scrigno di conoscenze
e di studi sulloreficeria dal valore culturale inestimabile.
La seconda persona uno scultore che viene dalla Moravia, ma
che oggi si divide tra le sue case a Parigi ed in Toscana. Ivan Theimer.
E stato lo scultore di Mitterand. Dei grandi monumenti nelle
piazze di Parigi, Grenoble e Lione. Scultore, pittore, grand touriste
e uomo di mondo, Ivan ci onora della sua stima ed amicizia. Anche
di lui e della sua arte parliamo qui. Ivan ci riconcilia con larte
moderna. Ha un segno figurativo, simbolico e contemporaneo.
I suoi delfini, tartarughe, serpenti e mostri marini ci fanno
percepire una sensibilit comune e condivisa. Il nostro sogno di
portare Ivan nel mondo lunare dellargento, ma usando la massima
attenzione per non essere noi, viceversa, attratti dalle sirene che
ci sussurrano e decantano il fascino ed i meriti del bronzo.
Bene. Andate avanti nella lettura e vi parleremo del nostro
nuovissimo negozio di Milano. Delle iniziative di co-marketing
con due protagonisti della cantieristica e dellAlta Moda: Benetti
e Renato Balestra.
Claudio vi sveler alcuni (non tutti) segreti e alchimie del mestiere
dellorafo e troverete altro ancora. Tutto succoso e freschissimo.
Enjoy the reading.
Giovanni e Claudio
We have reached the 30th issue of our Gazette. Ten years have
passed since those few pages we used to send our customers.
Nowadays our magazine (what a lovely word: magazine! If we
were to call it a Company Magazine or House Organ, you would
do well to stone us) is printed in twenty thousand copies and
sent world-wide to fifteen foreign countries.
A special greeting goes to our German readers, who are particularly
fond of it. In theory, we should speak about the company, the
products and new initiatives. And so here goes. Work is going
well, our products are all super and our initiatives are on-target,
as usual. We wish to speak about two friends, whom we respect.
We are fond of both of them and wish to express our gratitude
to both.
The first is Anna Bulgari Calissoni. In the mid-seventies, when
Giovanni was still a university student, he used to go to Mrs.
Bulgaris studio in Via Condotti to bring silverware with
breakthrough punches to catalogue and insert into the Bulgari
Archive. After years of cooperation, as you can read further on,
the Bulgari Archive has been donated to the to the Faculty of
Italian Literature in Arezzo, at the University of Siena: a priceless
casket of knowledge and studies on gold-work.
The second person is a sculptor, who comes from Moravia but
lives between his homes in Paris and Tuscany: Ivan Theimer. He
was Mitterands sculptor and sculpted major monuments in
squares in Paris, Grenoble and Lyons. A sculptor, painter, seasoned
traveller and man of the world, Ivan honours us with his respect
and friendship. We are also going to talk about him and his art in
this issue. Ivan reconciles us with modern art. He has a figurative,
symbolic and contemporary mark. His dolphins, tortoises, snakes
and sea monsters make us perceive a common, shared sensitivity.
Our dream is to take Ivan into the lunar landscape of silver but
making sure that, vice versa, we are not attracted by whispering
sirens praising the fascination and merits of bronze. Go ahead
with your reading and we shall talk about our brand new shop
in Milan. We shall also mention co-marketing initiatives with two
leaders in the yacht and haute couture industry: Benetti and
Renato Balestra. Claudio will reveal some (but not all) of the
secrets and tricks of a goldsmith amongst other things: all very
juicy and fresh. Enjoy reading us.
Giovanni e Claudio
A BOUTIQUE IN BRERA
Giovanni Raspini opens his store in Milan
After Rome, Giovanni Raspini conquers the City of Fashion in corso Garibaldi
51, on the corner with via Anfiteatro.
The new boutique in Milan wedges in like a ship heading into the heart of one
of the Lombard capitals most stimulating, authentic areas.
Right in the midst of the shopping-promenade between via Montenapoleone
and corso Como, the glittering shop-windows promptly display Giovanni
Raspinis animalier sensitivity and on entering the most fascinating icon:
a silver crocodile as a precious doorknob.
A special store designed for Milan, made unique by its cornerstone position:
six large, windows full of light that capture the eye of those heading towards
porta Garibaldi in front of a pedestrian area.
The Raspini boutique is next to piazza delle Crociate, slightly north of the
Piccolo Teatro.
Equidistant from the two Lanza and Moscova metro stations and the Brera
Academy, it is very close to Parco Sempione, one of the citys green lungs.
As in Rome, also for Corso Garibaldi, the architect Pasquale Pinna has
chosen a sober, elegant mood, creating a surprising space that plays on a
black/white dialogue.
An exclusive setting warmed by its creations in silver and gold, rich with
Giovanni Raspinis full production.
The boutique will be officially opened on 9th September 2010, which is an
extremely significant date for the city of Milan.
In addition to the Macef (the International Home Accessories and Dcor
Show), 9th September is also Fashion Night Out 2010 day, organised
world-wide by the international Vogue - Cond Nast international editions.
An event that debuted in 2009 and went down very well with the public,
especially in Italy, where it turned into a real global event.
Also this year it is the night of Milan, and Giovanni Raspinis night, for
celebrating the opening of its exclusive space in Corso Garibaldi.
Art de la table, animalier, fashion and charms: silver and gold as a sign of
luxury and exclusivity.
Animalier a tavola
Giovanni Raspini ospite della Design Library di Milano
La primavera degli animalier Raspini ha contagiato il distretto design di Milano.
Nel marzo scorso, mentre era in corso la XV edizione della Fiera Internazionale
dArte Moderna e Contemporanea con le strade e le gallerie della Zona Tortona
piene di happening ed incontri largentiere toscano stato protagonista di
Animalier a Tavola. Levento ha avuto luogo presso la Design library, il tempio del
design milanese voluto da Valerio Castelli. Giornalisti, addetti del settore, designer
e compratori hanno potuto ammirare le ultime creazioni per la tavola di Giovanni
raspini esposte nella sala bianca. Lincontro con largentiere e la presentazione
della nuova collezione si sono invece tenute nella sala nera, alla presenza del
padrone di casa. << Conosco le Argenterie Raspini e mi piace molto la loro vena
fantasiosa e di gioco prezioso >>, ha ricordato Castelli introducendo lincontro.
<< Alla Design Library siamo abituati a confrontarci con la creativit e leccellenza
del Made in Italy: gli oggetti animalier di Giovanni Raspini hanno unanima,
emozionano, dichiarano un legame forte e preciso tra funzione e decorazione,
rivelano una tecnica senza la quale non vi pu essere progettazione >>. Non
solo libri, quindi, ma soprattutto esperienze professionali, punti di vista, stimoli
culturali. La Design Library si conferma cos luogo emblematico di confronto e di
scambio di idee sulla contemporaneit.
Animalier tableware
Giovanni Raspini guest at the Design Library in Milan
The spring of Raspinis animalier is all the rage in Milans designer district.
In March, while the 15th exhibition of International Modern and ContemporaryArt was
in progress with the streets and arcades in Zona Tortona full of happenings and
events the Tuscan silversmith was the protagonist of Animalier Tableware.
The event took place at the Design Library, the Milanese design temple
wanted by Valerio Castelli. Journalists, members of the trade, designers and
buyers were able to admire Giovanni Raspinis latest table creations exhibited
in the white room. The meeting with the silversmith and the presentation of his
new collection were instead held in the black room in the presence of the host.
On introducing the meeting, Castelli recalled: <<I know Argenterie Raspini and I
love their imaginative vein and precious playfulness>>. <<At the Design Library,
we are used to keeping up with the creativeness and excellence of the Made
in Italy brand: Giovanni Raspinis creations have a soul, they are exciting and
reveal a strong, precise link between function and decoration and a technique,
without which design cannot exist>>. Therefore, not just books but above all
professional experiences, points of view and cultural stimuli. The Design Library
is thus confirmed as an emblematic venue for sharing and exchanging ideas on
contemporary culture.
LUXURY LIFE
di Francesco Maria Rossi
Un co-marketing di eccellenze
Francesco I de Medici e il figlio Ferdinando, fondatori nel XVI secolo della citt
tra i propri clienti importanti personaggi internazionali: regine, first ladies, attrici,
di Livorno, non avrebbero mai potuto immaginare che nellarea del Lazzeretto
Eva si capisce tutto: la grande moda sartoriale implica un controllo assoluto della
i riflettori. Come questo della citt labronica, ove nel 1866 nacquero i cantieri
navali Orlando ed oggi ben 260.000 metri quadrati ospitano quelli Benetti.
realizzabile concretamente.
Balestra progetta e segue ogni passo del lavoro con perizia certosina: le sarte di
fiducia fanno e rifanno sino a raggiungere la perfezione assoluta. Non esiste via
dello yacht per le foto alla grande tavola imbandita, luccicante degli argenti di
Giovanni Raspini.
Sulla tovaglia nera spiccano le creazioni dellargentiere toscano: vassoi animalier,
posate, coltelli con manico salmone, sottopiatti decorati di conchiglie, brocche,
saliere mare, forchettoni e candelieri. Un trionfo di riflessi e ricchezza: il cuoco di
bordo ha preparato delle crudits di pesce che danno colore ed allegria.
Eva sembra affamata, la donna del mistero forse una creatura in carne ed
ossa, che vive, ama e si circonda di ospiti. << La barca convivio ci racconta
Giovanni Raspini Ricevere e apparecchiare significa far festa, stare con gli
amici proprio dove ti senti a casa. Anche in mezzo al mare >>.
E vero: i ricordi, gli affetti, e largento che vince il tempo. Ma ormai lora di
andare, scendere a terra. Eva indossa di nuovo le scarpe di Taccetti. Uno stile,
quello del brand calzaturiero di Montelupo Fiorentino, dedicato ad un target esigente
ed appassionato del migliore Made in Italy. Pelli e tessuti di altissima qualit,
lavorazioni esclusive, dettagli glamour che fanno di ogni collezione un must di
stagione. Sofisticata, femminile, sexy, la donna Taccetti si fa interprete originale
e chic della moda internazionale: fra gusto couture e design contemporaneo.
Il porto il luogo magico dove niente definitivo, il punto ove la vita in itinere.
cravatte e agli occhiali. Una trentina di linee che trovano il loro trionfo proprio
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LUXURY LIFE
A co-marketing of excellences
Francesco I de Medici and his son Ferdinando, founders in the 16th century of
to list important international celebrities among his clients: queens, first ladies,
the city of Leghorn, could never have imagined that one day the most important
mega-yachts in the world would have been built in the Lazzeretto di San Rocco
looking at Balestras clothes worn by Eva: major tailored fashion implies absolute
area. Yet history continues and there are places bound to always remain under
quality control of the product. However, only on visiting his atelier in Via Abruzzi
the spotlight. Like the one in Leghorn where, in 1866, the Orlando shipyard was
can one understand how it can actually be achieved. Balestra designs and follows
located and which today houses the Benetti yard consisting of 260,000 square
metres. Founded by Paolo Vitelli over forty years ago, the Benelli Azimut is the
largest private group in the nautical industry. Specialised in extra-luxury yachts
for sea-lovers, it represents Italian style and class. A top-level executive meeting
with a group of excellences for a stunning photo shoot on board the Bistango,
seventy-two metres of innovation and beauty. Giovanni Raspini, Benetti, the
stylist Renato Balestra and Taccetti one of Italys premium footwear brands on
the one hand, the model Eva Bohatova, the photographer Leonardo Beglieri and
every step of his work with painstaking expertise: trusted dress-makers make and
re-make them until absolute perfection is achieved. There are no halfway measures:
only beauty exists. Lets go back on board and move to the lower lounge of
the yacht for the photos of the large set table, shining with Giovanni Raspinis
silverware. The creations of the Tuscan silversmiths stand out against the black
table-cloth: animalier trays, cutlery, knives with a salmon handle, under-plates
decorated with shells, jugs, sea saltcellars, large forks and candelabras.
the stylist Filippo Lapi on the other, together on the yacht designed by Stefano
Atriumph of reflections and wealth: the cook on board has prepared fish crudits that
provide colour and gaiety. Eva seems to be hungry: perhaps the mystery
woman is human after all, she lives, loves and adores surrounding herself with
guests. Giovanni Raspini tells us: <<Boats are convivial. Receiving guests
to St. Barthlemy. Eva, elegant and aloof, is already lying on the sofa in the central
and setting the table means throwing a party, staying with ones friends with
lounge. Briar on the walls with gold inserts and soft carpeting on the floors. All
whom you feel most at home also in the midst of the sea >>. It is true: memories,
around the blue reflection of the sea filters through the spacious luminous crystals.
affections and silver win over time. But it is now time to go back to land. Eva
At the stern, a teak deck with a large outdoor table. Beyond the horizon, only
the island of Gorgona can be glimpsed. Who is the woman in the photo? She is
wearing a marvellous evening dress by Balestra and animalier bracelets by Giovanni Raspini. She takes off her Taccetti shoes, as she abandons herself to the
soft cushions. A clue: Raspinis double ice-bucket, full of little icebergs, is always
by her side. The woman of mystery.
A woman who, tired and satisfied, has just returned from the casino club?
A rich heiress who never leaves her dream yacht? A tycoons new bride,
followed by new gossip photographers? Co-branding does not reveal mysteries
but creates new, fascinating ones. The only certainty is excellence and elegance,
perfectly at ease in her ship-owner suit, and disappears. The port is a magic
such as that of Renato Balestra, the multitalented stylist from Trieste who
place where nothing is final, the point where life is on the go.
moved to Rome a life-time ago. Balestras hand has redesigned the world: from
Yet a meeting of excellences can really last forever. Raspini, Benetti, Balestra
apparel to scarves and from accessories to cravats and eyewear. About thirty
lines that triumph in haute couture, where he has topped world classifications
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L ARCHIVIO BULGARI
Grazie alla passione dellargentiere toscano,
lUniversit di Arezzo riceve in donazione punzoni,
marchi e documenti riguardanti ben cinque secoli di
oreficeria italiana
di Francesco Maria Rossi
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BULGARI ARCHIVE
Thanks to the Tuscan silversmiths passion, Arezzo
University receives in donation punches, hallmarks
and documents on five centuries of Italian gold-work.
<< Today is for me a day of intense emotion because I have been given the
opportunity to hand over to this generations scholars, and to following generations,
what my father gleaned on Italian silver-smiths and goldsmiths in half a
century of research>>. These are Anna Bulgaris words in remembering her
father Costantino, a very famous jeweller and author of major studies on
ancient Italian gold-work from the 13th to 14th centuries. On Tuesday 15th
June, at the Faculty of Literature in Arezzo, a double donation deed was
signed by the rector of the University of Siena, Silvano Focardi, and by the
owners of the archives, Anna Bulgari and Giovanni Raspini who years ago
had already donated a part of the documentation regarding Tuscany to the
art-historic assets cataloguing laboratory of the same University, where the
archive will be rearranged, computerised and then put online. The work will
be done under the scientific supervision of Professor Paolo Torriti, lecturer
on the history of arts applied to gold-work and will be sponsored entirely
by Argenterie Giovanni Raspini. Raspini commented: <<My passion for
research on Italian gold-work led me to the Archive of Costantino Bulgari
already in the seventies, then in 2003, his daughter Anna decided to donate
the four sets of documentation on Tuscany to me. Today I shall hand them
to the University so that this precious heritage can be sorted, arranged and
made consultable.>>. The Tuscan silversmith, a collector and scholar, stressed
how Arezzo, the city of gold, is in a position to receive the donation and
valorise it. In the meanwhile, thanks to the archive, a study will soon be
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released to the press on Sienas silvers from the 17th to 19th centuries.
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di Pierangelo Mazzeschi
<< Viviamo in unepoca in cui regna prepotentemente il cattivo gusto >>. Nella
negozio dellitaliano per farlo saggiare e per avere dal gioielliere unopinione
soprattutto lingenuit per reagire. Una nostalgia della bellezza che ci stimola
a ricordare lopera di alcuni grandi artisti orafi che hanno lavorato in Europa
usato sia per evocare i gioielli italiani e francesi del Cinque e Seicento, ma
Augusto), orafi colti - operanti agli inizi dellOttocento fra Roma, Parigi e
il suo gusto con grande determinazione e creativit. Egli non ebbe paura di
loro, come per il pendente Pegaso beve alla fontana di Ippocrene, oggi
enormi, e Carlo Giuliano una di queste! >>. Nel 1895, prima di morire,
con sede al numero 13 di Frith Street in Soho. Nel 1874 la sua situazione
figli Arthur Alphonse e Carlo. Dispose, per testamento, che tutti i suoi devoti
Museum (lodierno Victoria and Albert Museum, il tempio delle arti applicate).
cre gioielli anche per artisti (alcuni appaiono nelle opere dei Preraffaelliti)
al 1914, occupando per mezzo secolo un posto di primo piano fra i gioiellieri
Pierangelo Mazzeschi docente di Storia del Gioiello presso la Facolt di Architettura dellUniversit di Firenze
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to the Italians shop to test it and ask the jeweller an opinion on the old
granulation. Even though archaeological jewellery was still produced until the
time, although today there is perhaps a lack of inspiration and above all
20th century, Giuliano decided to make the Renaissance his main source of
inspiration. This age could provide him with a wider range of colours which met
the work of certain major goldsmiths who worked in Europe from the 19th
enamels replaced austere diadems and necklaces in gold. Enamel was used
(Naples, 1831 London, 1895), who fully fits into this hive of re-discovered
to evoke 16th and 17th century Italian and French jewels but also Moghuls
necklaces and bracelets from India. Carlo Giuliano imposed his taste with great
determination and creativity. He was not afraid of mixing in one single piece of
jewellery sources of inspiration that were far-removed from one another, such
An artist and real celebrity to the extent that the wife of the American journalist
world (which came to the fore at the time with the discoveries made in
Henry Adams, on her return from Europe, said: << London is full of temptations
Pompei and Ercolano). Carlo Giuliano also went to London around 1860,
and Carlo Giuliano is one of them! >>. In 1895, before passing away, the
Neapolitan goldsmith was concerned that his firm would continue under the
management of his sons, Arthur Alphonse and Carlo. In his will, he ordered
that all his devoted customers were to receive a small piece of jewellery and
which in ensuing years became a point of reference for the citys aristocratic
circles, intellectuals and artists (who showed a strong liking to him, as did
selected by the South Kensington Museums director, (what is now the Victoria
Queen Victoria). Giuliano also created jewellery for artists (some appear
in the Pre-Raphaelite works) and was soon considered a real expert and
The C. & A. Giuliano firm, at number 48 in Knightsbridge, stayed open until 1914
Pierangelo Mazzeschi is lecturer on the History of Jewellery at Florence Universitys Faculty of Architecture
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IL MESTIERE DELLORAFO
di Claudio Arati
Dopo la visita in azienda di alcuni nostri clienti, a cui ho descritto e mostrato tutte le varie fasi della produzione, ho notato un forte interesse e attenzione al
riguardo, direi una sincera curiosit.
Ho cos pensato di tenere una rubrica, proprio sulla nostra Gazzette, ove cercher di descrivere al meglio le varie fasi della lavorazione, fasi che per chiarezza e
sinteticit propongo di dividere in quattro momenti:
1) Metodi e tecniche di costruzione del modello fino allo stampo
2) Le cere e la fusione a cera persa
3) Fasi di montaggio, saldatura e pulimentatura
4) Assemblaggio parti finite, controllo di qualit e confezionamento.
METODI E TECNICHE DI COSTRUZIONE DEL MODELLO FINO ALLO STAMPO (parte prima)
Cos la creativit? Come sinventa un gioiello, un oggetto prezioso? Spesso proprio la semplicit la carta vincente. Cos le idee per i modelli da realizzare
giungono dalla vita di tutti i giorni, oppure lo spunto viene dalla natura, da un qualcosa che nellaria, persino da un tramonto particolare. Sensazioni improvvise,
segni a volte impercettibili fanno decidere di portare avanti un progetto piuttosto che un altro. E le idee vanno e vengono. Ma veniamo agli aspetti tecnici e
costruttivi. Nel reparto studio modelli delle Argenterie Giovanni Raspini lavoriamo in cinque persone, e cio io, Giovanni, Fabio, Erika e Maria. Ognuno pu
indicare le proprie proposte tramite un disegno, oppure spiegandole a voce, o ancora abbozzando loggetto in metallo. Quindi i progetti vengono discussi assieme,
si affinano le proposte e si decide quale tipo di tecnica utilizzare per la migliore realizzazione. Per arrivare al modello possiamo usare strade diverse: il risultato
finale deve comunque essere un modello in metallo, magari composto da parti in ottone, altre in alpacca e altre ancora in argento (secondo le diverse parti
degli elementi che lo compongono), rifinito in tutte le sue parti. Cosa di grande importanza calcolare bene le dimensioni delloggetto. Va tenuto conto che il
modello deve essere circa il 5% pi grande del prodotto finale, causa la riduzione che avremo nella riproduzione di ciascun oggetto. Mi spiego meglio: se stiamo
facendo la sezione del modello di una cornice composta da sei parti e la dimensione del pannello posteriore e di 150 mm di lunghezza, il modello di questa
parte dovr misurare 157.5 mm. Passiamo ai volumi. Per dare la forma voluta alloggetto, possiamo partire dal metallo (in genere lottone) usando il metodo del
cesello. Si tratta di stendere la lastra di metallo sopra un composto adesivo di pece: essa ha la capacit di cedere sotto i colpi inferti col martelletto sui ferri in
acciaio, assorbendo per il contraccolpo. Ancora possiamo incidere col bulino, oppure usare frese di varie forme e dimensioni, lime, archetti da traforo e altri
utensili del mestiere. Se dobbiamo invece rappresentare un oggetto figurativo, tipo un angelo o unanimale, allora dobbiamo partire dalla cera. Mediante dei
ferretti (di forme e dimensioni varie) viene plasmato il soggetto, aggiungendo tante gocce di cera sino a raggiungere la dimensione, laspetto e la forma voluta.
Un lavoro da certosino, eppure estremamente creativo. A questo punto il modello in cera viene preparato per essere fuso, cos da raggiungere lobbiettivo, cio
avere il prototipo in metallo. Quando il modello stato trasformato in metallo, viene poi ritoccato ulteriormente con frese, bulini ed altro fino ad ottenere la finitura
desiderata. Ora sia il modello fatto in cera che quello realizzato in metallo sono al medesimo livello di sviluppo, si tratta perci di saldare in modo strategico dei
fili di rame, che serviranno come canali di alimentazione, sia con la cera che sul metallo fuso. Fatto ci possibile passare alla gomma, cio allo stampo. Viene
presa una forma in acciaio dentro la quale vengono stese piccole sfoglie di gomma di caucci puro. Raggiunto met spessore si posiziona il modello e si ricopre
con altre foglie di gomma. Il tutto viene inserito fra due piastre di acciaio e messa in una pressa riscaldata a 175 gradi, con una pressione variante dalle 50 alle
160 atmosfere. Dopo circa unora la gomma vulcanizzata, e una volta fredda si procede al suo taglio col bisturi, dividendola in senso longitudinale ed estraendo
il modello. A questo punto, finalmente, abbiamo lo stampo per poter riprodurre tutti i pezzi che vogliamo, mediante la tradizionale fusione a cera persa.
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After a visit paid to our company by some of our customers, to whom I described and illustrated all the various production stages, I noted their great interest and
attention: sincere curiosity, Id say.
Therefore, I was thinking of publishing a periodical in our Gazette, where I shall endeavour to describe at best various processing stages, which I propose dividing
into four parts to make them clear and concise:
1) Methods and techniques for creating a model including the production of the mould
2) Types of wax and lost-wax casting
3) Assembly stages, soldering and polishing
4) Assembly of finished parts, quality control and packaging
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING A MODEL INCLUDING THE PRODUCTION OF THE MOULD (part I)
What is creativity? How is a jewel, a precious creation, invented? Often it is simplicity that wins the day. Ideas for models originate from everyday life or from
nature, from something that is in the air, even from a special sunset. Sudden sensations and sometimes invisible signs make us decide to carry on with one project
rather than another. And ideas come and go. Therefore, I would like to tell you how one of our latest silver models came to be. At Argenterie Giovanni Raspini
there are five of us in the model design department: me, Giovanni, Fabio, Erika and Maria. Everyone can have their say and put their proposals forward with a
drawing, by explaining it out loud or sketching it into a metal object. Hence, projects are discussed together, proposals are improved on and it is decided which
type of technique to use to obtain the best result. To develop the model, we can take various routes: however, the final result has to be a metal model, perhaps
made of brass parts while others are in alpaca or in silver (according to the different parts of the elements composing it), trimmed and finished throughout.
It is very important to calculate the dimensions of the item accurately. The model has to be approximately 5% larger than the end product, due to the reduction
that occurs during the reproduction of each item. Let me explain better: if we are producing the section of the model of a frame made up of six parts and the
dimension of the rear panel is 150 mm in length, the model of this part should measure 157.5 mm. Lets move on to the volumes. To giver the required shape to
the item, we can start from the metal (usually bronze) using the chisel method. It is a matter of laying the metal plate on a pitch adhesive compound: it is capable
of yielding under the blows struck by a hammer on steel irons, absorbing the kickback. We can engrave with a graver or use various shapes and sizes of cutters,
files, drill-bows and other trade tools. If, however, we have to portray a figurative item, such as an angel or an animal, we have to start from the wax. Through
iron wires (of different shapes and sizes) the item is moulded, adding lots of drops of wax until the size, appearance and desired shape is achieved. It is work
that requires tremendous patience yet it is highly creative. At this point, the wax model is ready to be cast to achieve the desired result, i.e. the metal prototype.
When the model has been converted into metal, it is then touched up with cutters, gravers etc. until the required finish is obtained. Both the wax and metal model
are at the same development level. Therefore, it is a question of strategically soldering the copper wires, which will serve as supply channels both with wax and
cast metal. Having done so, it is possible to move onto the rubber, i.e. the mould. Small layers of crude natural rubber are laid into a steel mould. Once half the
thickness is achieved, the model is positioned and covered with other rubber leaves. The foregoing is inserted between two steel plates and put into a heated
press at 175 degrees with pressure varying from 50 to 160 atmospheres per square centimetre. After approximately one hour, the rubber is vulcanised and, once
cold, it is cut with the forceps, dividing it lengthwise and extracting the model. Finally, at this point, we have the mould which will enable us to reproduce all the
pieces we want, using traditional lost-wax casting.
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di Giovanni Raspini
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A Giovanni Raspini piace la sua arte e le sue opere; ama il suo mondo simbolico ove natura e storia si compenetrano senza sforzo apparente, con stile
e personalit; condivide anchegli la sensibilit animalier che lei esprime in creature a volte di ragguardevoli dimensioni. Il vostro giardino profondo
in realt una foresta selvaggia abitata da animali meravigliosi e potenti?
Voglio raccontarvi la storia di un bestiario medievale. Nella biblioteca universitaria della mai citt sfogliavo enormi tomi realizzati in miniatura: testi sacri, immagini,
musica, simboli di vita e rappresentazioni di animali mitologici e fantastici. Daltra parte, appena fuori dalle citt antiche vivevano orsi, lupi, cinghiali e linci.
Iconografie rappresentate per secoli, poi dimenticate qualche decennio fa. Forse dobbiamo ringraziare proprio Damien Hirst che, presentando negli anni 90 il
suo enorme squalo in formaldeide e la mucca sezionata, ha risvegliato gli animalier. Come per la vipera nel barattolo del farmacista, lartista inglese si fatto
interprete di una nuova Storia Naturale, forte e provocatoria. E finch vivr il mondo, gli animalier saranno fra noi.
Qual il futuro dellarte? La bellezza stata oramai sconfitta dalla comunicazione-provocazione o ritorneremo ad un mondo di armonia e luminosa
chiarezza?
Tutto cominciato quando larte divenuta borghese. Guarda ad esempio la pittura olandese del Seicento, il mondo laico che si fa strada e conquista posizioni.
Guarda larchitettura tradizionale: finita prima della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, quando termina quel rapporto artigianale che la rendeva armonica e in sintonia
con le altre discipline. Poi arrivato il cemento armato, lacciaio, lurgenza, e hanno preso campo periferie sempre pi anonime, tristi, direi quasi disabitate dalla
divinit. Non esiste pi quel tessuto urbano che caratterizzava le citt toscane dun tempo. Eppure la gente continua ad avvertire una fascinazione, ed ha bisogno
di percorrere le vie di Siena o Arezzo, di perdersi negli affreschi di Piero della Francesca. Noi non sappiamo quali sorprese ci riserver la storia, ma senza dubbio
recuperare quellarmonia sembra davvero molto difficile. O forse non serve proprio, perch il Sacro ed il Mito sono sempre in agguato dietro langolo.
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something familiar.
A public sculpture no longer belongs to you: it becomes landscape and shapes history. And it is people who decide that, like when I created the hour-glass sculpture
in Foligno in memory of the earthquake victims. Or, on a much larger scale, what Bernini did in Piazza di Spagna, when he designed the Boat. The fountain is
there, perfectly finished, as if it had always been there.
Giovanni Raspini loves your art and your works. He loves your symbolic world where nature and history penetrate one another effortlessly with style
and personality. He too shares that animalier sensitivity that you sometimes express in huge creatures. Is your profound garden in actual fact a wild
forest inhabited by marvellous, powerful animals?
I want to tell you a story about a medieval book of beasts. In the university library in my city, I used to read huge volumes in miniature: sacred texts, pictures,
music, live symbols and portrayals of fantastic, mythological animals. On the other hand, bears, wolves, wild boars and lynxes lived just outside the town.
Iconographies represented for centuries, then forgotten some decades ago. Perhaps we should thank Damien Hirst who, in the nineties on presenting his
huge shark in formaldehyde and sectioned cow, revived the animaliers. As in the viper in the pharmacists jar, the English artist interpreted a new, strong and
provocative Natural History; because as long as the world continues to exist, animaliers will live among us.
What is the future of art? Beauty has been defeated by communication-provocation, or shall we return to a world of harmony and luminous clarity?
It all started when art became bourgeois. Think of 17th century Dutch painting, for instance: the lay world that makes headway and establishes itself. Think of
traditional architecture: it ended before the Second World War, when that art-craft relationship, which made it harmonious and in tune with other disciplines, ended.
Then came reinforced concrete, steel and urgency and increasingly anonymous, sad, virtually Godless fringe belts took over. The urban fabric that distinguished
little old Tuscan towns no longer exists. Yet people are still fascinated by them and need to cross the streets of Siena or Arezzo or to lose themselves in the
frescoes by Piero della Francesca. We do not know what marvels history reserves us but it does seem very difficult to make up for that lost harmony or perhaps
it is of no use because the Sacred and the Myth are always ready to ambush around the corner.
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