2023-02-01
Champlevé is a type of enamel that was popular in the 12th and 13th centuries. Its main centres of production were workshops on the Meuse and Rhine, but Limoges was the largest centre producing enamelled objects. Champlevé was known as far back as antiquity; it was used for decoration by the Celts.
How is the decoration created?
To decorate an object with champlevé, indentations are chiselled or etched into the thick plate. The indentations made are then filled with a paste of up to several tones – this depends on the density of the paste. To add variety to the appearance of an enamelled object, a reservage was often used. The reservage was the juxtaposition of enamelled surfaces with not enamelled parts.