In the artistic realm, Romanesque goldsmithery played a considerable part not only in the birth and development of monumental sculpture, but also in the training of artists. The reputation of the goldsmiths crossed frontiers and their works were often cited as models. Repoussé work was one of the most fashionable techniques with goldsmiths because it rendered the relief better on the foil which, laid over a wooden core for reliquaries and altarpieces, translated on a smeller scale the aspirations of monumental sculpture. The work of reliquary busts certainly made the greatest impact on the efflorescence of Romanesque sculpture.
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