THE ART OF ENAMELING: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENAMELS

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

THE ART OF ENAMELING: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENAMELS

This craft of enameling is an ancient one. Evidence of it surfaces throughout Europe and throughout history. The oldest extant true enamels with which I am familiar come from Cyprus and consist of some 13th century B.C. rings and a scepter from the 11th century B.C., done in the cloisonné technique.  It is amazing that these early enamels are cloisonné, a technique that doesn’t become commonplace until the time of the Byzantine Empire. Where was it practiced during those intervening eons??

The Celts produced enamels from early in their history on the continent, but they especially  developed the art, firing colorful enamels onto bronze and decorating horse trappings, swords, shields and garment closures, the latter in the form of magnificent penannular, disk and fibular brooches. These enamels were done in the champlevé technique, with depressions first engraved in the metal and the enamel then placed inside, leaving the colors surrounded by a raised field of the base metal. The design of these works is characteristically Celtic, with the flowing, swirling lines. It is easy to see the continuity of design from this ancient metal work and enameling, moving into the magnificent Insular manuscripts, and on to later metal work and the high stone crosses of the British Isles

Byzantium produced enamels (9th to 11th centuries A.D.), working principally in cloisonné, in which areas between wires were filled with different colored ground glass and then fired. Two works stand out among these: the Pala d’Oro in the basilica of San Marco in Venice, and the Hungarian Crown, in the Hungarian National Museum. There are also many small cloisonné disks extant, often with the images of saints, which were part of ornate Gospel covers. Many of these early Byzantine enamels were produced in Georgia and Ukraine.

During the Middle Ages France and Germany produced much work, with some of the early work produced in the Meuse Valley. These craftsmen, again, were working in the champlevé technique, and producing brooches, reliquaries, and crucifixes. 

Limoges, France, is one of the most famous enameling areas in Europe and is certainly famous in the history of enameling. Beginning in the early medieval era, Limoges produced masses of objects used in the Christian churches. It had the advantage of lying along the great pilgrimage route from Paris to Santiago de Compostela, which served the Limousin ateliers well for distribution purposes. Later, as the Renaissance flowered, there was a second burgeoning of the craft. However, there was a drastic change in technique, with the Limousin artists developing the process of painted enamels. The images of these early Renaissance works were often Biblical in nature, with the introduction of more and more classical themes as the era progressed.

Plique-à-jour, a technique in which the work has no base plate of metal, evolved in Europe in the 1400s. With transparent enamel suspended either in little windows cut out of the metal plate or in a framework of fine metal wires, these works give the effect of minute stained glass windows. This technique was taken to great heights by the 19^th century Russians. The Russians, of course, were later known for the beautiful work emanating from the Fabergé studios in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. But we have jumped ahead of our chronology.

Notice must be taken of the work of the 17th and 18th century enamellists in Britain. Painted enamels and then transfer printed enamels were used on numerous drawing-room objects such as snuff-boxes, etuis, and patch boxes. France and Switzerland also produced many of these objects, with enameled watches becoming prized possessions.

The Chinese, although commonly associated with cloisonné, apparently did not begin the craft until the 13th century, with the Japanese development coming even later.

In America the art has been practiced since the mid-19th century, with the Art Nouveau era seeing many enameled objects produced from workshops such as Tiffany. Since a renascence in mid 20^th century, stimulated by such artists as Kenneth Bates, Edward Winter, Jean and Artthur Ames, and Jackson and Ellamarie Woolley, enameling has been established as a present and active art form in this country. It has strengthened greatly in recent years with the establishment of The Enamelist Society and the publishing of Glass on Metal magazine and with the conferences provided by the Society and now by the W.W. Carpenter Enamel Foundation.

 There is a growing number of enamelists throughout the world, with strong developments in Europe, Australia, Japan, Chile, Venezuela, Korea, Mexico, Canada—should I say wherever a kiln may be plugged into a heat source? We are there. 

A note about materials and process: 

Enamel is colored glass or silica which with the addition of other substances (potash, borax, soda) takes on various charateristics (softness or hardness, greater or lesser sparkle, elasticity). Enamels are opaque, transparent, or opalescent. This material is what provides the main appeal of enameled objects: their brilliant jewel-like colors.

The enamel is applied on metal, usually copper, gold, silver, or pre-coated iron or steel, and then fired in a furnace at temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1700 degrees. In working with the enamels various techniques can be used. Enamels may be sifted, painted, stencilled, sponged, dropped, or inlaid wet or dry on the metal. Further effects can be obtained by use of sgraffito, etching the metal, inlaying metal paillons, and/or high-firing. Experimental techniques such as raku-firing are also used. By knowledgable manipulation of all elements--material, design, techniques--a limitless field is opened to the artist.

For further reading:

History:

• Coben, Lawrence A.; and Ferster, Dorothy C. Japanese Cloisonné: History, Technique, and Appreciation. Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. 1990.
• Haseloff, Günther.  Email im frühen Mittelalter: frühchristliche Kunst von der Spätantike bis zu den Karolingern. Dr. Wolfram Hitzeroth Verlag. 1990.
• Jazzar, Bernard N.; and Nelson, Harold B. Painting with Fire: Masters of Enameling in America, 1930-1980. Long Beach Art Museum. 2006. 
• Metropolitan Museum of Art. Enamels of Limoges, 1100-1350. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1996.
• Northwest Designer/Craftsmen.  Creating Wonder: Harold Balazs. NWDC. (Video) 2001. Contemporary enamelist.
• Stratford, Neil. Catalogue of Medieval Enamels in the British Museum. Volume II: Northern Romanesque Enamel. Trustees of the British Museum. 1993.
• Wessel, Klaus.  Byzantine Enamels. Verlag Aurel Bongers. 1967.
• Youngs, Susan. The Work of Angels. Trustees of the British Museum.  1990.

Process:

• Bachrach, Lilyan. Contemporary Enameling: Art and Techniques. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 2006.
• Cohen, Karen. The Art of Fine Enameling. Sterling Publishing Co. 2002.
• Darty, Linda. The Art of Enameling: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration. Lark Books. 2004.
• Tudor, Jean. “Cloisonné options.” In: Glass on Metal, v.14, #3. June, 1995.
• Tudor, Jean. “Raku Enameling.” In: Glass on Metal, v.20, #3. June, 2001.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Intro to the History of Enameling

The following history of enameling was written by my good friend and mentor Craig Ruwe. He worked as an enamel artist for over 30 years before his passing in 2004. Craig first learned his craft at the side of Fred Ball in the late 1970's and helped Fred construct and install a large enamel work called "They Way Home" on the exterior of the Macy's parking garage in Sacramento.

Craig taught me what he knew about enameling and encouraged me to explore and experiment with this ancient media. He is always with me in my mind and by my side.

Enameling
By Craig Ruwe

Enameling is one of the oldest arts in history yet one of the least developed in terms of contemporary usage. Enamel is not paint: it is a thin coat of glass applied to a metal which, when heated to high temperatures, melts and becomes fused to the metal in much the same way as ceramic glazes adhere to pottery. Pure gold, silver and copper are traditionally the only metals that will work in the enameling process, although now there are enamels that can be fused to steel, brass and aluminum as well.

Enameling was practiced as early as the 5th century B.C. by the ancient Greeks, and it was the Greeks who developed the most well-known technique of enameling, cloisonne (literally "to be cut off from one another" or "compartmentalized"), in which extremely thin metal wire is applied to a metal surface and areas between the wire are carefully packed with enamel before firing. Enamel played an important role in Byzantine art, French and German art of the middle ages and Renaissance, and Japanese and Chinese art from the 13th century A.D. to the present. Enameled pieces grew from the production of tiny jewel-like beads that were sewn into clothing or placed in sculpture to the magnificent and elaborate altar-pieces and reliquaries of medieval Europe, the fine enamel portraiture of the 16th century Limoge, France and fantastically ornate Chinese cloisonne vases, boxes, and trays still being produced today.

Many techniques have been developed over the ages, each giving the finished piece unique characteristics. These include champleve (the method of pouring enamel into sunken or gouged areas of metal), plique-a-jour (a backless wire technique used with transparent enamels so that the finished piece, held to the light, has a jewel-like, stained glass window appearance), bassetaille, grisaille and others.

The experimental techniques that I use were pioneered and developed by the late Fred Ball, a California artist who in the 1960's began using transparent glazes and non-traditional firing techniques on thin gauge metals. Enamel in its powder form (made up of silica and lesser parts soda and lime with metal oxides such as gold, cobalt, manganese, tin, platinum and titanium added to produce color) is sifted onto the metal and then heated in a kiln at 1200-1700 degrees F. until the powder melts, fusing to the metal to produce a thin, glass coated sheath of foil.

The color and texture of the work can be altered by varying the density of the application of the powder enamel, by adjusting the temperature and length of firing time of the firings, and by performing repeated firings. The kiln used is quite small, and the individual pieces of copper that make up the completed work are all fired separately and then laminated together. The final piece is coated with an acrylic finish to prevent any exposed copper from oxidizing. All the enamels used are transparent; the unique glowing color quality of the work is caused by light traveling through the enamel and reflecting off the polished surface of the underlying copper. This color will not fade over time even when placed in direct sunlight, a quality which makes the work unique among framed wall hangings.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Enameling is an art so ancient, its true beginnings are lost in obscurity. The oldest cloisonne' enameling is thought to date back to about the 13th century B.C. in ancient Greece, where Mycenaean goldsmiths inlaid enamel into gold rings.

Exquisite examples of decorative glass and metal objects have also been traced back to ancient Egypt, China and Japan, continuing throughout the ages with examples from Byzantium, Renaissance Italy, France, Russia and 18th century England. Until the 20th century, mostly only the wealthy could buy or commission a fine enamel.


Historically, it was customary for members of both nobility and church to support and nurture the talents of enamel artisans so they could spend all their time creating priceless enamels for their patrons alone. This tradition continued to more recent times, such as the intricate and mesmerizing enamel creations by Russian artist and goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge', who became known in the 19th century as the court jeweler to the czars.

However, by the 20th century, enamels became more accessible, and not entirely reserved for the privileged class. Innovative breakthroughs in technology brought forth lively and startling new colors and methods to enameling. Louis Comfort Tiffany, working in New York at the turn of the century, produced amazing limited edition and individual enamels for clients. Many other artists continued throughout the century to make exquisite, small and refined works of art -- and as time went on, they were often designed with a more bold and fascinating freedom, characteristic of contemporary art.

The seductive quality of precious metals reflecting through a crystal-clear transparent enamel, or the subtlety of opalescent enamels, has managed to keep artisans spellbound for centuries. And still today the mystical process of glass fired onto metal, continues to fascinate & inspire.