European Enamels by Isa Belli Barsali

European Enamels

by Isa Belli Barsali

Paul Hamlyn Cameo Art Series

Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1969, colour photographic plates throughout, hardcover, dust-jacket

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, previous owners stamp inside front cover, dust-jacket minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing to edges and corners, (see photographs)

"The art of fusing coloured enamels onto precious metals to make jewellery dates back to ancient Egypt, but in Byzantine art enamelling was combined with precious stones on gold Gospel covers, reliquaries, plaques and altarpieces.  At the same time, the Barbarians of Dark-Age Europe were making enamelled jewellery in their own distinctive style.  During the Romanesque and Gothic periods, Church plate and vestments were lavishly embellished with enamel decoration and schools in the regions of the Rhine and the Meuse produced marvellously forceful pieces which gradually gave way to the refinement and sophistication of work from Limoges.  The art flourished during the Renaissance, and in the 17th and 18th centuries small domestic pieces became very fashionable."