Champlevé: in this technique the cavities intended to hold the enamel are carved out of the thickness of the metal plate using burins, chisels, and engraving tools. The outline of the design is left raised and becomes visible once the work is finished.
En ronde bosse: here, the glassy paste is applied and fused onto a truly three-dimensional metal core, which is usually embossed.
Art scholar Ulla Krempel writes: “In the history of enamel art, the same phenomenon always recurs: suddenly, new techniques appear, already perfected in the very first work, or ancient techniques are revived that were previously thought to have fallen into oblivion”.
Throughout the centuries, several schools have
stood out as carriers of tradition and innovation in
the art of enamelwork. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinopolitan artisans spread this art to the major European centers. In the early Middle Ages, it was the Limoges school that influenced many others, including the Spanish, English, and Italian schools. In 13th-century Italy, the import of Limoges works introduced new enamel techniques, blending with the memory of the Byzantine tradition.
By the 16th century, Florentine craftsmanship,
closely tied to the Medici family, became predominant, as evidenced by the objects
preserved in the Museo degli Argenti in Florence. These works preceded the rise of the most famous Italian goldsmith and enameler, Benvenuto Cellini, to whom the famous “Salt Cellar” for Francis I, housed in the Vienna Museum, was once attributed.
Even today, Tuscany remains a center of artisanal excellence in this particular art form. In Florence, designer Giovanna Ferrero Ventimiglia works in close collaboration with skilled artisans to create the
designs for Piccoli Smalti.
Technically, enamelwork is the result of the fusion of glassy materials and metallic oxides that act as colorants. Depending on their individual properties, they render the glassy surface either more transparent or more opaque. The glass substances used for enameling are pulverized and washed to remove impurities, then applied to the metal base and fired in a refractory kiln.
The firing times depend both on the base material (gold, silver, or copper) and the glass substances used. For example, opaque enamels melt at a lower temperature than transparent ones, and sometimes a double firing is necessary to enhance the color’s brilliance.
Depending on the quality of the glass mass and the characteristics of the base material, enameling is divided into several techniques used throughout the centuries: Cloisonné, Champlevé, and En ronde bosse are among the most well-known. In Cloisonné, the base is formed by a honeycomb structure (cloisons), made up of dividing strips that enclose the individual enamel fields, which usually correspond to the internal lines of the design and composition.
Champlevé: in this technique the cavities intended to hold the enamel are carved out of the thickness of the metal plate using burins, chisels, and engraving tools. The outline of the design is left raised and becomes visible once the work is finished.
En ronde bosse: here, the glassy paste is applied and fused onto a truly three-dimensional metal core, which is usually embossed.
Art scholar Ulla Krempel writes:
“In the history of enamel art, the same phenomenon always recurs: suddenly, new techniques appear, already perfected in the very first work, or ancient techniques are revived that were previously thought to have fallen into oblivion”.
Throughout the centuries, several schools have stood out as carriers of tradition and innovation in the art of enamelwork. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinopolitan artisans spread this art to the major European centers.
In the early Middle Ages, it was the Limoges school that influenced many others, including the Spanish, English, and Italian schools. In 13th-century Italy, the import of Limoges works introduced new enamel techniques, blending with the memory of the Byzantine tradition.
By the 16th century, Florentine craftsmanship, closely tied to the Medici family, became predominant, as evidenced by the objects preserved in the Museo degli Argenti in Florence. These works preceded the rise of the most famous Italian goldsmith and enameler, Benvenuto Cellini, to whom the famous “Salt Cellar” for Francis I, housed in the Vienna Museum, was once attributed.
Even today, Tuscany remains a center of artisanal excellence in this particular art form. In Florence, designer Giovanna Ferrero Ventimiglia works in close collaboration with skilled artisans to create the designs for Piccoli Smalti.
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