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What is Enamel? |
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Intro to Enamel |
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Vitreous Enamel is really a thin layer of glass fused by heat on to the surface of a metal. The most common glass is a fusion of silica, soda, lime, and a small amount of borax. Though normally transparent, various amounts of opacity can be produced by adding or growing crystals within the glass structure. A wide range of colors are produced by incorporating certain elements, mostly transition metals. |
The physical properties of glass can be controlled to permit bonding to most metals, for example: gold, platinum, silver, copper, steel, cast iron, aluminum and titanium.
The word "Enamel" refers to the glass material, as well as to the finished product. |
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Makings of Enamel |
Enamel (glass) is crushed to a powder somewhat finer than granulated sugar and somewhat coarser than flour. This powder is applied, by one of several methods, to the metal surface. Next, the article is heated to 1000-1600°F, either in a preheated furnace, or with a hand-held torch. After 1-1/2 to 10 minutes, the article is removed and allowed to cool to room temperature. Subsequent coats, normally different colors, are applied. Sometimes 10-20 firings are required to bring about the desired results.
Each enamel box is manufactured almost entirely by hand. First, a thin coating of powdered glass and clay is applied to a copper form. Several layers are applied. Each layer is fired to a temperature of over 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. The firing process causes a permanent bond to be formed between the enamel and metal. The enamel medium takes its strength from the metal form and its beauty from the deep glazed surface. |
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After several firings the enamel has a smooth, white surface, ready for hand painting. Hand painting is a painstaking process. In some instances brushes with as few as three hairs are used to paint these intricate scenes. Each layer of paint is fired separately. For some boxes seven or eight firings are necessary. Each box takes many hours to produce. Only a limited number of each design is made.
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History of Enamel |
Enameling is a technique thousands of years old. It may have been discovered accidentally when melted sand and clay fused to iron implements. The people of many civilizations have recognized its beauty and utility, including the Chinese, Greeks, Indians, Romans and Celts. The elaborate Byzantine enamels of the tenth century are still regarded by some as the finest examples of this art form.
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Chinese Enamel Box
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In the eighteenth century in the small towns of Battersea and Staffordshire, in England, artists rediscovered the possibilities in making beautifully crafted enameled boxes. The boxes were highly sought after by the nobility, and were used to hold snuff for the gentlemen and makeup for the ladies. Fine examples of the art are still occasionally discovered in England in estate sales. Enamel boxes were, and still are, a favorite gift of royalty and dignitaries. |
In pre-revolutionary Russia a goldsmith named Peter Carl Faberge began to experiment with enameling. He ultimately took enameling as an art form to unprecedented heights. The fabulous Faberge eggs were created for the Tsar as gifts. They were made of several different alloys of gold inlaid with complex and beautiful multi-colored transparent enamels.
Many different techniques are used to create beautiful enameled designs. Among the techniques are cloisonne, champleve, grisaille, and plique-a-jour. Most enameling techniques are still referred to by their French names. Each style has its own distinctive appearance.
Most large museums have enamelware exhibits. Some of the best known are the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Taft Museum in Cincinnati, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London. As you study and collect various enameled works you will become expert in recognizing the characteristics and subtleties of the various design techniques. |
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