Ancient engravers use optical magnification or reduction technology?

Consider me a simple man.

If you strike a highly detailed 5 mm 0.4g masterpiece, then the proof is in the pudding.

Seriously try it with a piece of modeling clay. Press out a 5 mm diameter piece and take a needle and "draw" what you can.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Pudding Proof

I'm going to post this new one in my thread describing my small Greek coin collection. Here is a quick snap shot:


MYSIA. Kyzikos.
AR Obol ca. 450-400 B.C.

0.85 grams, 11 mm
Obv: Forepart of razor-back boar left,
tunny upward behind
Rev: Head of roaring lion facing left
within incuse square
Grade: gEF fully struck, Almost mint
on a porosity-free, choice flan.
Other: Similar to Sear 3848 but w/o "K"
Von Fritze II 9; SNG France 361-72;
SNG von Aulock 1213; SNG Kayhan 54.
From Barry Murphy May 2013.

 

By the Gods - the proof!

 

I have a question about the date of this little Obol coin. The seller stated circa 450-400 B.C. However, the Sear book seems to state 480-450 B.C. How would you recommend describing this coin's date?

 

I have one of these (not near as pristine), but I have it attributed as Sear 3850, 480-450 BC. The biggest difference I can see is the star above the lions head on my coin:

 

This is a very interesting thread. I think it's akin to discussions about the mechanical processes of ancient minting, inasmuch as there are probably several answers that suffice. Certainly near-sighted die sinkers would have had an advantage, and probably some sort of rudimentary magnification technology may have been used. There is a third possibility, though. Human hands can be trained to do remarkably intricate things on a microscopic level, with only a modicum of visual input. I'm thinking of the oriental art of rice grain painting. You can search Youtube for artists accomplishing this astonishing feat, and see that it's done mostly by touch...



Yes, that's a grain of rice.