This research highlights how the application of craft-practice philosophy and material intelligence provides new perspectives within interdisciplinary settings. This approach can reveal previously hidden or lost information about the construction of heritage objects. First developed to reconstruct the ‘Pearl Dropper’, part of the Cheapside Hoard project, it was further tested as part of a rigorous, interdisciplinary research project investigating the material and making knowledge required by the printer, John Baskerville (1707-75) to produce his typographic punches, which are the only remaining material evidence of his skills. This project and its preliminary results, was presented in the peer-reviewed journal article ‘The Baskerville Punches: Revelations of Craftsmanship’, Midlands History, (Taylor and Francis, 2020) and in a short film ‘The lasting legacy of Birmingham’s Famous Printer’.
The researcher’s innovative use of craft knowledge and making skills underpins the investigation of objects. Identifying the significance of previously overlooked witness marks of manufacture and deciphering subtle changes in material behaviour has enabled the hidden craftsmanship of objects to be revealed. This methodology calls upon traditional and digital forms of craftsmanship to reverse engineer objects and provide a step-by-step understanding of the decision making and sequencing of fabrication stages. Allowing for an objects reconstruction as it was found and if damaged augmented to present the object as intended when it first left the workshop.
The application of craft research has influenced other academic research into how heritage objects were made; and is impacting how the heritage sector interprets, displays and engages the public with objects in its collections. The reconstruction allows objects to be handled by the public in museum settings; this is reflected in work with the Cheapside Hoard ‘Pearl Dropper.’ More recently the methodology has given insights into the material behaviour of a rare 24ct gold containing a micro alloy of titanium.
