"ADVANTAGE OF SCULPTURES - IS STABILITY IN TIME BUT IF PAINTING IN PROGRESS enamel paint, and then placed in FIRE AND THERE Immolation, it will surpass in eternity EVEN IF sculpture ... Bronze sculpture of durability, it is painting on enamel forever.."
Leonardo da Vinci
Enamel art originated in ancient Egypt, and it seems to me that this is not accidental. Let’s imagine the picturesque nature of those lands: during the day - a dazzling blue sky, at night - a dark blue sky, decorated with myriads of stars. The reddish sand of the desert and the fiery ball of the hot sun above it. The mighty Nile with shores fringed with thickets of papyrus and shining with the glare of snow-white lotuses. The horizon, rugged by the tops of the mountains, and the system of palm groves, bearing on the trunks-columns the capitol of the green crown .... All these motifs are clearly traced, the forms are easily guessed, both in the monumental and in the decorative art of ancient Egypt. The masters of the past drew their inspiration from nature, and jewelry was no exception.
The main materials used by the ancient Egyptian jewelers were gold, silver and electr (an alloy of gold and silver). As decorative inserts, stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli and carnelian were widely used, to which the Egyptians attributed sacred power.
I note that in those ancient times, jewelry was not just jewelry. They laid a special mystical meaning. Jewels were associated with the forces of nature and the deities that these forces personified. Great importance was given to the symbolic language of color. And enamel was the best suited for enriching the palette of precious products.
The radiance of gold was compared with the sun and its embodiment - the god Ra, the cold brilliance of silver with the moon and the goddess Isis (Isis). Dark blue lapis lazuli personified the night sky with his lord the goddess Nut and symbolized eternity. The bluish-green turquoise is a symbol of lasting youth and rebirth. Carnelian, whose color can be compared with the color of blood, was a symbol of strength and vitality. This color was associated with Seth, the god of the desert. As a result of the combination of these colors, the decorations were very bright and elegant. One of the favorite techniques of Egyptian jewelers was the cloisonne inlay technique, which later degenerated into cloisonne enamel, which took on the symbolism of turquoise, lapis lazuli and other stones.
Cloisonne. It is made in the following way: partitions are soldered onto the surface of the product, forming original cells in which enamel is laid in the form of a glassy powder and then baked. Sometimes this process is repeated several times until the enamel level matches the level of the partitions. After that, the surface of the product is ground and polished.
But let's move on. From the 5th century BC, the Celtic tribes that inhabited part of the territory of modern France and Britain used another enamel technique - notched enamel on bronze. The colors used by the masters were bright and saturated, most often coral red, as well as green, blue and white. The main graphic motif was a stylized floral ornament. Most often, enamel inlay is found on jewelry, primarily on buckles and brooches, as well as on military equipment - shields and swords.
Chiseled enamel. As the name implies, the distinguishing feature of this enameling method is that the enamel is placed in special grooves on the metal surface, which can be obtained by engraving, embossing, stamping or using other jewelry techniques. Both opaque and transparent enamels are allowed. In the case of transparent enamel, especially if it covers a significant area of the product, a relief pattern was often applied to the metal surface, and due to the difference in depths, the color of the enamel varied from lighter to darker.
Starting from the VIII century, Byzantine cloisonne enamel became widespread. Masters achieved perfection in this difficult technique in enamel strength, and in the thinness of the partitions they exceeded all the samples available at that time. Numerous salaries and icons made using the cloisonne enamel technique have survived to this day. And according to the preserved written historical sources, it can be judged that the ceremonial clothes and hats, interior items and even horse harnesses were also decorated with enamel. Juicy, bright colors of enamel, combined with a sparkle of gold, gave the works of Byzantine masters a luxurious and pompous look that perfectly matched the tastes of the aristocracy of that time ...
In Europe, the largest center for the production of enamel products is the French city of Limoges. If in the XII-XIII centuries, the main technique was chiseled enamel, then from the end of the XIV century, masters began to switch to a more complex painted (painted) enamel, which perpetuated the name of the city for centuries. Artists created boxes of reliquaries, bowls, plaques, jugs, dishes. Mythological and biblical stories were often copied from engravings. Starting from the 16th century, masters of the new school began to use monochrome painting using the grisaille technique. The gentle and smooth gradation of color made these pieces look like relief.
Painted enamel. This is a kind of miniature painting. An enamelled base made of copper, silver or gold is painted with enamel paints. To prevent mixing of colors, which can lead to loss of color, the enamel is applied in several layers. Each of the layers is fixed by firing. To avoid deformation under the influence of high temperatures, the reverse side of the product is covered with the so-called counter-enamel. This type of enameling requires the greatest number of enamel paints, which differ not only in color, but also in melting point.
In the 19th century, the extremely laborious art of enamels fell into decay. His revival is associated with the emergence of Art Nouveau style. In the XX century, enamel, due to its spectacularity, became one of the favorite techniques for decorating jewelry and decorative and applied products made in this style.
In Russia, enamel was well known even in the pre-Mongol period. During the time of the Kiev principality, details of ceremonial clothes and church utensils were mainly decorated with enamel. The most widely used is the cloisonne enamel technique borrowed from Byzantium. Byzantine influence is especially pronounced in the works of the 11th-12th centuries. As a result, the secrets of the manufacture of these enamels were lost. In the XVI-XVII centuries Moscow jewelers came to the fore. Having originated in the workshops of the Armory, widespread enamel on filigree, which is a type of cloisonne enamel. The difference was that the partitions in this case are made of twisted and rolled wire. The main difference is that the enamel applied in a thin layer was not polished due to its deepening relative to the level of the partitions. The general trend of jewelry of that time was splendor and luxury. Enamels were used appropriate - multicolor, dense and saturated tones.
Another type of artistic enamel originated in the XVIII-XIX centuries. Rostov the Great became the Russian cradle for painted enamel, or as it was called "Rostov enamel". Initially, enamel painted icons, crosses, miniature overlays on holy books, patirs and other liturgical utensils, as well as on vestments of priests. Subsequently, secular motifs began to penetrate enamel art. Portraits and landscapes appeared, similar in spirit to easel painting, as well as inserts for jewelry.
But, perhaps, enamel art reached the greatest heights in the works of the world famous company Faberge. The company began its history in 1841 when Gustav Faberge, a native of France, opened a jewelry workshop in St. Petersburg. However, the success and recognition of the company is associated with the name of his son, Carl Faberge. Having received an art education in Germany, Italy and France, Karl was well acquainted with the best traditions of European jewelers. In his works you can find echoes of almost all eras, from antiquity to modernity.
Faberge workshops produced many different products, but it was enamel-decorated works that were the pinnacle of Faberge’s creative genius and a distinctive hallmark of the company. Amazingly beautiful frames for portraits, perfume bottles, mugs, cigarette cases, powder boxes, ladles, tea and cutlery were decorated with unique enamels. Undoubtedly, the most significant works of the Faberge House were unique Easter eggs, none of which were repeated. The first Easter masterpiece in 1883 was ordered to the company’s jewelers by the Russian emperor Alexander III as a gift to his wife, Empress Maria Fyodorovna.
Subsequently, about 50 unique eggs were created for members of the imperial family, each of which had a surprise inside. Enamels, unsurpassed in quality, differed in ideal smoothness of a surface. Even with a slight change in the angle of view, the enamel changed its color ...
