TRENDS & TECHNIQUES

Types of enamel to look out for

Vitreous enamel is a decorative technique in which powdered glass is layered onto a variety of background surfaces – usually metal, but also ceramics, glass, stone and others – at high temperatures. The powdered glass melts, flows and then hardens on the background surface, creating a brilliantly coloured decorative effect. Techniques include cloisonné, in which thin strips of metal are bent and curved to follow the outline of a decorative pattern; they are then attached, usually soldered, to the surface of the object, forming miniature walls. Within these walls the powdered enamel is laid and fused. Another popular technique is champlevé where, instead of building on the surface of the metal object, the surface is gouged away, creating channels separated by thin ridges of metal that form the outline of the design. The troughs are filled with powdered enamel and fused. The Becket Casket, made in 12th-century Limoges and housed in the V& A is one of the most famous examples. Other techniques include basse-taille, in which the metal is carved before the enamel goes on, and plique-à-jour (‘letting in daylight’), which resembles cloisonné but achieves a stainedglass effect by the absence of a back plate, a famous example being the French c1400 Mérode Cup. Sitting somewhat apart from these techniques is painted enamel, in which a vessel is coated with enamel, painted and fired. Again, Limoges features here, where painted enamel was applied to copper from the mid 1400s.