Material Matters: ENAMEL
Vases, clocks, tea sets, keepsake boxes, perhaps an Easter egg or two… a beautiful and varied world awaits collectors who delve into the rich realms of antique enamel, discovers Steve Wright
Combining the durability of metal with the delicacy of glass, enamel – or vitreous enamel, to give it its full name – is colourful, translucent and often exquisite. Down the centuries a huge range of objects and ornaments have featured enamel, from Fabergé’s Easter eggs via vases, clocks and jewellery to humble kitchenware, such as coffee pots and serving dishes. A highly skilled technique, in which powdered glass and pigment are exposed to high temperatures in order to create a liquid, the origins of enamelling are unclear, but it is thought to have been invented by the ancient Egyptians, who applied enamels to stone objects, pottery and sometimes jewellery. The Greeks, Celts and Chinese carried on the tradition, using enamel on metal objects, while the Romans applied it to glass. In Europe, enamel reached a peak of popularity in the Middle Ages, when
the French city of Limoges became famous rst for its champlevé (see page 99) enamelwork from the 12th century onwards and then, in the 15th century, for its painted enamel.
However, the most prevalent enamelling technique through history has probably been cloisonné (also page 99), which came from either Byzantium or the Islamic world. Becoming well established in China during the 13th and 14th centuries, cloisonné remained popular in China until the 19th century, and is still produced there today. The most elaborate and highly valued Chinese pieces date from the early Ming dynasty (15th century), although 19th and 20th- century pieces are now much easier to nd.
China’s near-neighbour Japan started producing its own cloisonné
in large quantities, and of very high technical quality, from the 1850s onwards. Exquisite vases, bowls, boxes and other decorative items by artists such as Namikawa Yasuyuki and Namikawa Sosuke are now extremely collectable.
Among the other most prominent forms, painted enamel can be very valuable, with even small pots showing the "nest workmanship fetching around £ 2m. ‘Austria specialised in plates, dishes, clocks, vases, teapots, even cabinets on wooden bases with enamel panels,’ explains Daniel Sinai, Director at London’s Mayfair Gallery. ‘ Many works copied Renaissance designs, featuring rock crystal and lapis lazuli and illustrations and decorations drawing on classical mythology.’
In the late 19th century, Russia rivalled Austria for exquisite enamelware. One famous silversmith was Peter Carl Fabergé, the jeweller famous for his fabulous Easter eggs. Some 50 were created between 1885 and 1916 for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas
II as Easter gi #s for their wives and mothers – 43 eggs survive today.
But 19th- century Russia should be known for more than Fabergé’s eggs. ‘ Various Russian artels – cooperative associations of craftsmen living and working together – produced beautiful enamelwork at this time, such as tea sets, beakers and kovshi – traditional oval-shaped Russian drinking ladles,’ Daniel explains.
When starting to acquire an enamel collection of your own, John Ja $a, who has run The Antique Enamel Company in London’s Earls Court for 40 years, recommends small English painted enamels – snu $ boxes, perfume bottles and bonbonnières – produced in
Sta $ordshire during the 1700s. John’s stock includes an impressive range of patch boxes (used to store beauty patches for disguising blemishes), often with mottoes.
Small English painted enamels from the 1700s are a good place to start
‘South Sta !ordshire enamels from 1760 start at around £ 250, and their inscriptions (‘A token of regard’,
‘ Tri "es shew respect’) are delightfully whimsical,’ says John. For collectors in the middle range of the market, he suggests Russian cloisonné, which can start at around £750 for a 19th- century kovsh or spoon. For larger budgets, exquisite Austrian, Swiss and French enamel gold boxes start at around £10,000.
John Axford is Chairman and Asian Art specialist at Woolley & Wallis. ‘I would recommend Chinese 18th- century painted enamel,’ he says. ‘A lot of this was made for the export market – produced to sell into Europe and featuring ‘ Western’ themes. Because of this, it’s now not so popular with
Chinese buyers, who prefer things that were ere made for the home market. Many of these designs will be copies of Ming- era Chinese motifs. You can # nd some unbelievably beautiful objects at reasonable prices – £150 upwards, or even less if it has a little damage.’ He also recommends looking at slightly later work from Japan. ‘ When I started at Woolley & Wallis in 1993, Japanese enamel was much more sought a %er than Chinese. The Japanese market was very strong in the world, whereas China was a closed country. Today, though, as soon as it says ‘Japanese’, Chinese buyers are just not interested, meaning Japanese art is left to a world of proper collectors. For the same money you will find far better pieces in Japanese art.’
Turn the page to find out about The Royal Collection Fabergé eggs and more