repoussé

American  

[ruh-poo-sey] / rə puˈseɪ /

adjective

1. (of a design) raised in relief by hammering on the reverse side.

2. ornamented or made in this kind of raised work.

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noun

1. the art or process of producing repoussé designs.

repoussé British  

/ rəˈpuːseɪ /

adjective

1. raised in relief, as a design on a thin piece of metal hammered through from the underside

2. decorated with such designs

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noun

1. a design or surface made in this way

2. the technique of hammering designs in this way

Etymology

Origin of repoussé

1850–55; < French, past participle of repousser to push back; see re-, push

Example Sentences

The crowns of the title look like antique versions of astronaut headgear: gilded copper helmets, studded with gems, encrusted with repoussé plaques and topped by five-pronged antennas — the vajra, or thunderbolt of wisdom.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2018

The crowns of the title look like antique versions of astronaut headgear: gilded copper helmets, each studded with gems, encrusted with repoussé plaques and topped by five-pronged antennas — the vajra, or thunderbolt of wisdom.

From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2018

Fabricated in China, this replica of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty consists of about 300 individual pieces of repoussé copper.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2018

Dadyan explores ideas of beauty, strength and Armenian heritage in his silver and copper pieces created from techniques such as repoussé, where the image is hammered into relief from the reverse side.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2016

The process of repoussé work is also much the same to-day as it has always been.

From Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Addison, Julia de Wolf Gibbs