DOI issue:
No. 108 (March, 1902)
DOI article:Fisher, Alexander: The art of true enamelling upon metals, [3]
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19875#0123
The Art of True Enamelling
to the absence of a metal
division, much greater care
is required irt keeping the
edges of the colour quite
clear and sharp and clean.
The best way to do this
is by adding a little gum
tragacanth and water to
each enamel, and by letting
this mixture partly dry
after it has been laid upon
the metal; by this means a
sharp clear edge is formed
before the next colour is
put in juxtaposition to it.
Great care, again, must be
taken in handling the work
and in placing it into the
furnace, for if any par-
ticles of enamel get moved
out of their place, the
edges of colour will be
blurred after the firing.
"the ' langham ' collar" by gilbert saves There are, indeed, many
(See article on Gilbert Bayes) n • * ■ , •„
pitfalls in this bassetaille
process, and you will find
Bassetaille.—The word Bassetaille is derived from it a most valuable thing to test a small part of each
the two old French words, " basse" meaning low, enamel you intend to use. For this purpose I
and " taille," cut,—that is, " low cut," like an keep always by me some small pieces of metal
Egyptian bas-relief. It consists of a subject carved ready prepared. When the metal is being carved,
in low-relief below the general surface of the metal it is a great help to test the relief for enamel by
object; so that when the enamel is placed over the mixing a little water-colour of the same tone as
design the whole surface of enamel and metal is the enamel and floating it over the metal spaces
one, and the relief is seen through the transparent
enamel. The tools employed for champleve may be
used also for bassetaille. That they should be more
numerous and with greater variety of shape of edge
will depend upon the kind of work and the artist's
choice. The whole process is exactly similar in
other respects to that described under the head of
champleve, except that it is carving in relief and
not merely sinking a fiat space for the enamel
inlay. The great example is the "Kings' Cup"
at the British Musuem. There is another at King's
Lynn, commonly known as the "Lynn Cup,"
which was done by this bassetaille method. It is to
be observed that there is no metal division between
the different coloured enamels in bassetaille. This
is a great advantage : there is no necessity for a
metal division unless the enamels are very soft, in
which case they are bad for any kind of work.
The method of enamelling after the subject has
, j . , ., , . .,, . plaque a jour by fernand thesmar
been carved is much the same in bassetaille as in enamei bowi
champleve, the only difference being that, owing (South Kensington Museum)
to the absence of a metal
division, much greater care
is required irt keeping the
edges of the colour quite
clear and sharp and clean.
The best way to do this
is by adding a little gum
tragacanth and water to
each enamel, and by letting
this mixture partly dry
after it has been laid upon
the metal; by this means a
sharp clear edge is formed
before the next colour is
put in juxtaposition to it.
Great care, again, must be
taken in handling the work
and in placing it into the
furnace, for if any par-
ticles of enamel get moved
out of their place, the
edges of colour will be
blurred after the firing.
"the ' langham ' collar" by gilbert saves There are, indeed, many
(See article on Gilbert Bayes) n • * ■ , •„
pitfalls in this bassetaille
process, and you will find
Bassetaille.—The word Bassetaille is derived from it a most valuable thing to test a small part of each
the two old French words, " basse" meaning low, enamel you intend to use. For this purpose I
and " taille," cut,—that is, " low cut," like an keep always by me some small pieces of metal
Egyptian bas-relief. It consists of a subject carved ready prepared. When the metal is being carved,
in low-relief below the general surface of the metal it is a great help to test the relief for enamel by
object; so that when the enamel is placed over the mixing a little water-colour of the same tone as
design the whole surface of enamel and metal is the enamel and floating it over the metal spaces
one, and the relief is seen through the transparent
enamel. The tools employed for champleve may be
used also for bassetaille. That they should be more
numerous and with greater variety of shape of edge
will depend upon the kind of work and the artist's
choice. The whole process is exactly similar in
other respects to that described under the head of
champleve, except that it is carving in relief and
not merely sinking a fiat space for the enamel
inlay. The great example is the "Kings' Cup"
at the British Musuem. There is another at King's
Lynn, commonly known as the "Lynn Cup,"
which was done by this bassetaille method. It is to
be observed that there is no metal division between
the different coloured enamels in bassetaille. This
is a great advantage : there is no necessity for a
metal division unless the enamels are very soft, in
which case they are bad for any kind of work.
The method of enamelling after the subject has
, j . , ., , . .,, . plaque a jour by fernand thesmar
been carved is much the same in bassetaille as in enamei bowi
champleve, the only difference being that, owing (South Kensington Museum)