Enamel, coloured fired technique

Extremely colourful and producing decorative effects is the enamel technique. The name enamel derives from the French word émail; in Old Polish it was called szmelc or smalc. Enamel mainly decorates metal objects, most commonly jewellery today. 

What is enamel?

Enamel is powdered glass, i.e. pigment, minerals, and fluxes applied to a metal substrate and melted at 800-900 °C. The mixture thus melted forms a vitreous coating. Most commonly, the enamel is used to decorate gold and copper substrates, which are thoroughly worked and cleaned before application. The enamel technique is very time-consuming—the fired product has to dry slowly and be polished, sometimes firing again after polishing. 

History of enamelling

Enamel became widespread in the early Middle Ages around the 5th and 6th centuries. Enamelled wares from Byzantium displayed a particularly high artistic level – not only were liturgical and secular vessels decorated but also the first figural scenes were created. Byzantine enamel had a very strong influence on Western Europe's art, where this unique decoration tech was strongly developed between the 11th and 14th centuries in centres on the Rhine and the Meuse. Limoges was also an important centre for the development of the technique.

What types of enamel do we have?

Several types of enamel can be distinguished, the most popular being:

• cellular enamel,
• Hungarian enamel,
• grooved enamel,
• Limoges enamel.