Studio: international art (22.1901)

Enamelling

are mainly used as an
enrichment for jewels,
sword - hilts, horse - trap-
pings, and the handles of
daggers. In some very
rare cases they are pre-
cious, but they have never
the inwardness nor the
restraint of the Textus
Cover and the Kings'
Gold Cup; indeed, they
are apt to be tawdry.
Not seldom they look
like mere toys, things of
a moment. Now, the
quality of preciousness
has among its admirable
traits the following cha-
racteristic : it is made to
last, it is a delight for all
time, a joy for ever.

It is not my intention
to write an archaeological
treatise on enamelling.
That has been well done
again and again ; but it
may be of use briefly to
gold bracelet showing wire setting for cloisons (b.c in. or ii.) notice the changes which

have taken place in its
development. We know

The white, as is generally the case in Limoges that enamel in its simple forms was in use among
enamels, is too white, so that its tint is discordant the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the
with the rest of the colour-scheme ; the transparent Greeks, the Romans, the Etruscans ; but that they
colours, too, are weak, are even rather insipid, knew all the processes now in vogue is a very rash
being too transparent; and, again, the figures are assertion. The British Museum has a specimen
not fine in form and drawing. But the arrange- of Egyptian work, a bracelet, upon which the
ment and design are at any rate excellent, opaque turquoise-tinted enamel is applied in the
having each a frolicsome kind of elegance, such as same way as gems might have been,
should belong to the gay Queen Margot's jewel As regards the champleve process, it seems to
casket. In the enamel gallery at South Kensington have had its origin in Britain, in days preceding
there are many examples of the Limoges method the Roman conquest. Thence it passed to France
of work, but, except here and there in details, and Italy, where it was used only for small articles
beauty is sacrificed either to subject or else to of jewellery, if an opinion may be formed from the
process. Castellani collection in the British Museum. In

A few pieces of Japanese enamel possess the the eleventh century we find the same process in
quality of preciousness, though they suffer not a several countries, usually mixed with cloisonne;
little from their too imitative form and character, but one may note here at once that in all the
Still, taking the whole display of old Japanese and earlier enamels the processes are employed from
Chinese enamels, we see a great, even a consum- a goldsmith's and a jeweller's point of view,
mate achievement in handicraft, as well as a not from that of a genuine worker in enamel,
beautiful arrangement of the colouring; and this It is not till we come to the twelfth century
is all the more noteworthy as none but opaque that the fine craft of enamelling begins to
enamels were then employed in China and Japan, assert its independence as an art and its full

The Indian enamels, which consist of champleve, capacity for change and progress. From that