The History of Dripped Copper Mexican Art
- Copper is one of the oldest and most extensively used metals known to man. One of the reasons for this is the fact that it was the only metal known to man for almost 50 centuries. Its earliest known use dates as far back as 9,000 B.C. in the Middle East. Copper jewelry was discovered in an archaeological site in what is now northern Iraq dating before 8,700 B.C. In ancient times, copper was recognized as a symbol of wealth. In fact, even after the discovery of gold in around 4,000 B.C., copper was still considered a superior metal for another 1,000 years.
- Dripped copper art is defined by its distinctive color patterns. When copper is heated at different temperatures it can change to almost any color in the rainbow. Dripped copper runs rather than drips, so it usually forms a pool on the object rather than thin lines. An interesting change in color appears when copper is exposed to other elements, gases and temperatures, which is what causes the brilliant rainbow coloring on many of these pieces. Common designs of dripped copper art are geckos, suns, moons, sea creatures, kokopelli's and roadrunners.
- In Mexico, the use of copper can be attributed to the Purepecha Indians of Central Mexico who produced both domestic implements and weapons by hammering copper on stone. In the 1500s the village of Santa Clara del Cobre was founded in order to exploit copper smelting. This time period saw the arrival of the Spanish who brought European industrial techniques and tools, which in turn made serious advancements in the copper industry for both utilitarian purposes and artistic creations. In the late 19th century, many American sculpture artists went to Mexico seeking relief from commercialized art in the United States and turned to coppersmiths for new techniques.
- Many modern coppersmiths prefer old techniques to create this unique artwork. To create the base of a sculpture, native copper is heated in coal-lined holes or on an open forge. A sheet of copper is heated until malleable, then is shaped with hammers. The object is repeatedly heated and hammered until it takes the form of the object the artist is trying to create. Once the base object is formed, the sculpture is left to cool before the dripped copper can be applied. These foundational pieces are then decorated by dripping melted copper over the designs in different patterns. Today, dripped copper is used on different types of metal, from silver and gold to cheaper forms of sheet metal.
- Copper artwork has made many advancements since its meager beginnings all those centuries ago and techniques continue to progress. Rudimentary smelting techniques were used to work with the copper, along with hammering, but today advanced heating devices and tools allow for much more elaborate designs with dripped copper art pieces being made in more dimensional forms. Three-dimensional designs are replacing flat designs by welding more than one sheet together to create larger, more elaborate structures. Dripping techniques have advanced as well. In earlier periods, copper was melted over fire, a long and arduous process. The melting point of copper is around 1,900 F, far below the average temperature of a small fire; additionally, copper is a good conductor of energy, making the melting process somewhat difficult. Today, copper is melted in furnaces with better control, greatly decreasing the time it takes to melt copper.
