What is the history of enamel?<\/h2>\n
A highly skilled technique, in which powdered glass and pigment are exposed to high temperatures in order to create a liquid, the origins of enamelling are unclear, but it is thought to have been invented by the ancient Egyptians, who applied enamels to stone objects, pottery and sometimes jewellery.<\/p>\n
The Greeks, Celts and Chinese carried on the tradition, using enamel on metal objects, while the Romans applied it to glass. In Europe, enamel reached a peak of popularity in the Middle Ages, when the French city of Limoges became famous first for its champlev\u00e9 enamelwork from the 12th century onwards and then, in the 15th century, for its painted enamel.<\/p>\n
However, the most prevalent enamelling technique through history has probably been cloisonn\u00e9, which came from either Byzantium or the Islamic world. Becoming well established in China during the 13th and 14th centuries, cloisonn\u00e9 remained popular in China until the 19th century, and is still produced there today. The most elaborate and highly valued Chinese pieces date from the early Ming dynasty (15th century), although 19th and 20th-century pieces are now much easier to find.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> China\u2019s near-neighbour Japan started producing its own cloisonn\u00e9 in large quantities, and of very high technical quality, from the 1850s onwards. Exquisite vases, bowls, boxes and other decorative items by artists such as Namikawa Yasuyuki and Namikawa S\u014dsuke are now extremely collectable.<\/p>\n Among the other most prominent forms, painted enamel can be very valuable, with even small pots showing the finest workmanship fetching around \u00a32m. \u2018Austria specialised in plates, dishes, clocks, vases, teapots, even cabinets on wooden bases with enamel panels,\u2019 explains Daniel Sinai, Director at London\u2019s Mayfair Gallery<\/a>. \u2018Many works copied Renaissance designs, featuring rock crystal and lapis lazuli and illustrations and decorations drawing on classical mythology.\u2019<\/p>\n In the late 19th century, Russia rivalled Austria for exquisite enamelware. One famous silversmith was Peter Carl Faberg\u00e9, the jeweller famous for his fabulous Easter eggs. Some 50 were created between 1885 and 1916 for Tsars\u00a0Alexander III\u00a0and\u00a0Nicholas II\u00a0as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers \u2013 43 eggs survive today.<\/p>\n But 19th-century Russia should be known for more than Faberg\u00e9\u2019s eggs. \u2018Various Russian artels \u2013 cooperative associations of craftsmen living and working together \u2013 produced beautiful enamelwork at this time, such as tea sets, beakers and kovshi \u2013 traditional oval-shaped Russian drinking ladles,\u2019 Daniel explains.<\/p>\n When starting to acquire an enamel collection of your own, John Jaffa, who has run The Antique Enamel Company in London\u2019s Earls Court for 40 years, recommends small English painted enamels \u2013 snuff boxes, perfume bottles and bonbonni\u00e8res \u2013 produced in Staffordshire during the 1700s. John\u2019s stock includes an impressive range of patch boxes (used to store beauty patches for disguising blemishes), often with mottoes.<\/p>\n \u2018South Staffordshire enamels from 1760 start at around \u00a3250, and their inscriptions (\u2018A token of regard\u2019, \u2018Trifles shew respect\u2019) are delightfully whimsical,\u2019 says John. For collectors in the middle range of the market, he suggests Russian cloisonn\u00e9, which can start at around \u00a3750 for a 19th-century kovsh or spoon. For larger budgets, exquisite Austrian, Swiss and French enamel gold boxes start at around \u00a310,000.<\/p>\n John Axford is Chairman and Asian Art specialist at Woolley & Wallis. \u2018I would recommend Chinese 18th-century painted enamel,\u2019 he says. \u2018A lot of this was made for the export market \u2013 produced to sell into Europe and featuring \u2018Western\u2019 themes. Because of this, it\u2019s now not so popular with Chinese buyers, who prefer things that were made for the home market. Many of these designs will be copies of Ming-era Chinese motifs. You can find some unbelievably beautiful objects at reasonable prices \u2013 \u00a3150 upwards, or even less if it has a little damage.\u2019<\/p>\n He also recommends looking at slightly later work from Japan. \u2018When I started at Woolley & Wallis in 1993, Japanese enamel was much more sought after than Chinese. The Japanese market was very strong in the world, whereas China was a closed country. Today, though, as soon as it says \u2018Japanese\u2019, Chinese buyers are just not interested, meaning Japanese art is left to a world of proper collectors. For the same money you will find far better pieces in Japanese art.\u2019<\/p>\n Vitreous enamel is a decorative technique in which powdered glass is layered onto a variety of background surfaces \u2013 usually metal, but also ceramics, glass, stone and others \u2013 at high temperatures. The powdered glass melts, flows and then hardens on the background surface, creating a brilliantly coloured decorative effect.<\/p>\n Techniques include cloisonn\u00e9, in which thin strips of metal are bent and curved to follow the outline of a decorative pattern; they are then attached, usually soldered, to the surface of the object, forming miniature walls. Within these walls the powdered enamel is laid and fused.<\/p>\n Another popular technique is champlev\u00e9 where, instead of building on the surface of the metal object, the surface is gouged away, creating channels separated by thin ridges of metal that form the outline of the design. The troughs are filled with powdered enamel and fused. The Becket Casket, made in 12th-century Limoges and housed in the V&A is one of the most famous examples.<\/p>\n Other techniques include basse-taille, in which the metal is carved before the enamel goes on, and plique-\u00e0-jour (\u2018letting in daylight\u2019), which resembles cloisonn\u00e9 but achieves a stained-glass effect by the absence of a back plate, a famous example being the French c1400 Sitting somewhat apart from these techniques is painted enamel, in which a vessel is coated with enamel, painted and fired. Again, Limoges features here, where painted enamel was applied to copper from the mid 1400s.<\/p>\n Suite 63, 235 Earls Court Road, London, SW5 9FE theantiqueenamelcompany.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n PO Box 36330, London, NW2 5YF gouldantiques.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n 39 South Audley Street, London, W1K 2PP mayfairgallery.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\nYou might also like:<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How much should you expect to pay for enamel?<\/h2>\n
What enamel is most collectable?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Types of enamel to look out for<\/h2>\n
Where to buy antique enamel<\/h2>\n
The Antique Enamel Company<\/h3>\n
Gould Antiques<\/h3>\n
Mayfair Gallery<\/h3>\n
Woolley & Wallis<\/h3>\n