Metal Inlay
A technique where one metal is hammered into grooves carved in another metal to create patterns.
What is it?
Metal inlay is a way to decorate metal objects. First, the artist carves a design into the surface of the base metal (like brass). Then, they hammer a softer metal (like silver or gold) into the grooves. The extra metal is polished smooth. This creates a shiny pattern that contrasts with the base. The Mamluk washbasin you captured uses silver and gold inlay on brass.
Why it matters
Metal inlay allows artists to create detailed, colorful designs on metal. It was very popular in Islamic art. Many beautiful objects were made this way.
Where you've seen it
This list grows as you capture more objects with metal inlay.
