champlevé
Sign in to savethumb|300px|High-quality Mosan art|Mosan 12th century armlet, somewhat damaged, so showing the cast recesses for the enamel Champlevé is an enamelling technique in the decorative arts, or an object made by that process, in which troughs or cells are carved, etched, die struck, or cast into the surface of a metal object, and filled with vitreous enamel. The piece is then fired until the enamel fuses, and when cooled, the surface of the object is polished. The uncarved portions of the original surface remain visible as a frame for the enamel designs; typically, they are gilded in medieval work.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Early champlevé
- Romanesque
- Gallery
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|300px|High-quality Mosan art|Mosan 12th century armlet, somewhat damaged, so showing the cast recesses for the enamel
Champlevé is an enamelling technique in the decorative arts, or an object made by that process, in which troughs or cells are carved, etched, die struck, or cast into the surface of a metal object, and filled with vitreous enamel. The piece is then fired until the enamel fuses, and when cooled, the surface of the object is polished. The uncarved portions of the original surface remain visible as a frame for the enamel designs; typically, they are gilded in medieval work. The name comes from the French for "raised field", "field" meaning background, though the technique in practice lowers the area to be enamelled rather than raising the rest of the surface.