In the nineteenth century, Spiez Castle served Hermann Karl von Wilke (1827–1896) and his family as a summer residence. He had the castle complex converted to correspond to his needs and contemporary tastes. Starting in 1879, the new castle was thus given a historical appearance, with turrets, bay windows, and a garden hall. The grounds also underwent considerable alterations. In the west, the moat was filled in and a park with a terrace, orangery, grotto, pergolas, pavilions, and ponds was laid out. One formative design element is the balustrade with a series of plant urns, of which, however, only four have been preserved in the original. As of 2023, copies once again communicate the original impression.
The Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen produced new castings of the original plant urns from the nineteenth century for the new design of the castle park on behalf of Spiez Castle.
The video shows the individual production steps.
Repoussé and chasing are crafting techniques known since antiquity, in which sheet metal is processed freely with a hammer, adapted to a model, or working into a negative mold. Art objects are generally processed in several sections, which are then welded or riveted together to create a whole. This video shows employees of the Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen processing copper sheet metal over several weeks.
