Enamel Decoration. Collecting Words from Biddington's.

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PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE--art words and terms.

enamel

(in AM el)

What is it?

Enamel is a decorative technique in which a glass "paste" is applied to the surface of a metal--normally bronze, copper or gold. This glass composition adheres to the metal through fusion under very high temperatures.

Why are some enamels translucent & others opaque?

The color of the enamel and its degree of transparency depend on the metal oxides that exist in the glass and the temperature at which the glass melts and coheres to the surface:

"Harder"=fused at higher temperatures=more durable, more translucent
"Softer"=fused at lower temperatures=more fragile, more opaque

Art Nouveau Enameled and Jeweled Pendant

When & where did enamel technique originate?

The precursor of true enamel dates all the way back to the 15th century BCE with the ancient Egyptians, who, to ornament objects, used pieces of cut-glass in decorative patterns embedded in gold; however these substances were not fused together through the use of heat.

The first true enamel, using molten glass, can be seen on Greek gold jewelry that dates from the 4th century BCE. Since then, enamel has been used throughout history, by cultures all over the world, because of its colorful and lustrous qualities.--guest editor Margaret Morse

BIDDINGTON'S Designer & Vintage Jewelry Gallery

More PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE:
P&P: Abstract Expressionism
P&P: Arte Povera
P&P: Ash Can School
P&P: bronze patina
P&P: citrine
P&P: Colorfield painting
P&P: Greek columns
P&P: Conceptual Art
P&P: coromandel
P&P: depression glass
P&P: enamel
P&P: encaustic
P&P: etching
P&P: faux
P&P: foreshortening
P&P: gouache
P&P: Iconography & Iconology
P&P: New Image painting
P&P: Newcomb pottery
P&P: parfleche
P&P: Pop Art
P&P: porcelain
P&P: realism
P&P: Senufo
P&P: Surrealism
P&P: turquoise

ABOUT THIS FEATURE

In the art & antiques world, experts bandy about arcane words as though they were part of everyone's standard vocabulary. To a fledgling collector, this practice can be maddening. In PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, BIDDINGTON'S picks a word or phrase and gives it a good, hard going over: defining it, explaining it and showing how to use it.
Glance regularly at PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, and soon you'll be able to toss those obscure phrases back at the experts with confidence and agility and be fully prepared to bid on items at BIDDINGTON'S upmarket, online art & antiques auctions.

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