DOI Heft:
Nr. 146 (May 1905)
DOI Artikel:McMurry, Henry L.: Enamelling in relief: Mr. Henry Holiday's interesting invention
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20711#0321
Enamelling in Relief
ENAMELLING IN RELIEF:
MR. HENRY HOLIDAY'S INTE-
RESTING INVENTION. BY H.
MURRAY.
The new art of glass enamelling in relief—princi-
pally for the decoration of churches and halls—
which is the happily-conceived idea of Mr. Henry
Holiday, has perhaps not received the attention
in the art world which it deserves. The artist,
in his studio at Hampstead, has executed work in
enamels on a scale never before attempted by
a process which, though it is his own invention,
he is always ready to courteously explain to those
who may be interested in it. Powdered glass upon
metal is simply the secret of the beautiful effects he
has produced; but the work involves many technical
difficulties, which can only be understood and
appreciated by those who may try the new method.
The old enamels were flat, with the exception of
trifling details, and mediosval artists very wisely made
them small, knowing that a highly polished surface
on a large scale never looks well, and requires a lot
of work to make it interesting. It occurred to Mr.
Holiday that he might try the experiment of exe-
cuting the enamel in relief to obviate this flatness,
and to make it available for large-scale work. With
this end in view he first of all makes a model in
clay, just as if he were doing the relief for sculpture.
He then takes a plaster mould of the model, and
then a plaster cast from the model. The model and
the cast are placed side by side. The artist then
selects the moulds most suitable for the colours of
the different parts. Three metals are used—viz.,
sheet silver, sheet copper, and sheet gilding—the
latter being, not gilt, but gilding metal, a special
alloy. Pieces of these metals are cut out to corre-
spond with the different parts and laid in the
mould, being pressed in with tools till they fit
pretty closely. The part so shaped is transferred
on to a convex cast, and finished with steel tools
till the mould corresponds accurately to the cast.
The powdered glass necessary for the particular
colour is then strewn over the surface with a fine
wire sieve, the latter being tapped from time to
time to ensure an even distribution of the powdery
"DON QUIXOTE AND THE WINDMILL'
304
BY J. M. CARBONERO
ENAMELLING IN RELIEF:
MR. HENRY HOLIDAY'S INTE-
RESTING INVENTION. BY H.
MURRAY.
The new art of glass enamelling in relief—princi-
pally for the decoration of churches and halls—
which is the happily-conceived idea of Mr. Henry
Holiday, has perhaps not received the attention
in the art world which it deserves. The artist,
in his studio at Hampstead, has executed work in
enamels on a scale never before attempted by
a process which, though it is his own invention,
he is always ready to courteously explain to those
who may be interested in it. Powdered glass upon
metal is simply the secret of the beautiful effects he
has produced; but the work involves many technical
difficulties, which can only be understood and
appreciated by those who may try the new method.
The old enamels were flat, with the exception of
trifling details, and mediosval artists very wisely made
them small, knowing that a highly polished surface
on a large scale never looks well, and requires a lot
of work to make it interesting. It occurred to Mr.
Holiday that he might try the experiment of exe-
cuting the enamel in relief to obviate this flatness,
and to make it available for large-scale work. With
this end in view he first of all makes a model in
clay, just as if he were doing the relief for sculpture.
He then takes a plaster mould of the model, and
then a plaster cast from the model. The model and
the cast are placed side by side. The artist then
selects the moulds most suitable for the colours of
the different parts. Three metals are used—viz.,
sheet silver, sheet copper, and sheet gilding—the
latter being, not gilt, but gilding metal, a special
alloy. Pieces of these metals are cut out to corre-
spond with the different parts and laid in the
mould, being pressed in with tools till they fit
pretty closely. The part so shaped is transferred
on to a convex cast, and finished with steel tools
till the mould corresponds accurately to the cast.
The powdered glass necessary for the particular
colour is then strewn over the surface with a fine
wire sieve, the latter being tapped from time to
time to ensure an even distribution of the powdery
"DON QUIXOTE AND THE WINDMILL'
304
BY J. M. CARBONERO