Berrettino glaze See Enamel. Bronze A metal alloy consisting of copper and in different percentages, sometimes with the addition of other elements (especially zinc and lead), which is used for casting (see entry) statues or other artefacts. Burin An implement in the shape of a small rod with a wooden handle and a steel point which is used to incise metal, wood and leather for ornamental purposes. Calvary The name given to the hill just outside Jerusalem’s walls where Jesus was crucified. The name Calvary derives from the Latin Calvariae locus which is in turn the translation of the Aramaic term Gûlgaltâ (hence Golgotha the other name of the site)which means “place of the skull”. Cameo A generally polychrome precious stone or a shell incised with figures in relief or in the round. Capital The upper part of a column or of a pillar on which either the architrave or the arch rests. Casting The process used to create sculptural works through the pouring of molten metal into a mould. To obtain a solid sculpture, the metal is poured into an open mould until the latter is completely filled; whereas in a hollow casting the metal is poured into a closed mould in a very thin layer. One of the methods to create casts, used in Antiquity and rediscovered in the Renaissance, was the one called the lost wax technique: some clay was covered with a layer of wax that was modelled and then covered in turn with clay; then it was fired and the wax melted and flowed out through special holes and finally cast bronze was poured into the resulting hollow space.
Ceramics Term which refers to a series of products obtained from a mixture of different materials, such as clays, feldspar, sand, iron oxide, alumina and quartz. After the moulding and the drying process, the ceramic article is fired to obtain the biscuit which can successively be decorated with ceramic glazes and coated with varnish. Among the different types of ceramics there are some which consist of a compact paste (such as stoneware and porcelain)and having a very low porosity as well as a good standard of impermeability, and others made up of a porous paste (pottery, majolica and earthenware). Champlevé See Enamel. Chasing See Chiselling Chiselling or Chasing Refined decoration technique carried out on metal objects by means of a chisel, namely a small steel implement with a bevelled edge having different shapes to create different patterns, that, when hit with a small hammer marks the metal surface without cutting it. Ciborium A small aedicule where the consecrated host is kept. It is placed at the centre of the altar, is in the shape of a tempietto and is fitted out with a door. Crest A spectacular ornament at times placed on the headpiece, made of worked and painted leather or of other light material, with a heraldic, symbolic and identificatory meaning and used both in war games and in battles. Cross/Processional Cross The cross is an object(that can be made of various materials) formed by two perpendicularly intersecting axes, which, with or without the Crucified Christ, is the characteristic symbol of Christianity. Usually made of metal, the processional cross (also
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