Damascene and Verre églomisé: Alliance of technical prowess
There are objects that have demonstrated as proof of artists’s and artisans’s talent and ingenuity in their creations. Through this, they elevate their pieces sometimes to the rank of true works of art, treasures of inventiveness and artistic precision.
This little book, presented today by Expertissim gives us the opportunity to focus on two particular ornamentation techniques that are precious and delicate thus rendering its charm. The goal of its creator seemed to be extended from the utilitarian to the artistic.
The use of notebooks, popular in the 19th century.
To take note of a word, idea, memory, appointment, name of a night conquest, many important and unimportant occasions, all in order to not forget. This concern seemed to have developed in the 19th century. The use of notebooks democratized during this time and we see different types differentiated by their use. One of the best known is undoubtedly the Ball notebook which came into use in the 1820s. First introduced shaped as a fan then later made into an art object adorned with precious materials like ivory, mother of pearl, etc. Other booklets served as travel diaries, which will become a genre in itself thereafter, notably the works of Zola. Here, this booklet is more a kind of current agenda, given the names of the days included on each page and the beautiful calligraphy joined by curves and Gothic letters. It is a book of memories, notes, or appointments transcribed daily.
The use of these types of objects became more and more pronounced along with the emergence at that time of the bourgeois class within cities. They sought to surround themselves with beautiful items of quality thus pushing designers to practice ornamentation on any objects of everyday life. Everyday objects will become true miniature works of art that liked to be shown off during high-society or other outings.
The damascene: art from the East.
The damascene technique is, as its name suggests, comes from the city of Damascus, capital of Syria, whose origins date back to the fourth millennium B.C. The damascene was discovered and developed in Eibar by Eusebio Zuloaga. The damascene technique consists of embedding a wire of copper, gold or silver onto a metal support often steel or iron. Next the metal support is carved into and the chosen design is chiseled by dry point or etching. Once the wire is embedded and forming the decorative motif the pattern is known as a "damascene". Originally, mostly gold (24 carat) was embossed into steel. And it is used primarily for weapons. This technique will pass through Toledo, and then spread throughout the Mediterranean until the West. Used extensively in the Middle Ages, it was more or less forgotten until the 20th century, where we rediscover the ancient artisan techniques at the same time coupling them with the Industrial Revolution, technological advances, etc. Many pieces were on display including the Universal
Exhibition held in London in 1862 where they were also honored. The fine and precise execution of steel damascene patterns by goldsmiths were re-discovered. However, despite the attested Syrian origin, ancient texts mention the use of the damascene process in Gaul. This was the glory of Toledo hence normal for it to be integrated into the art of the 19th century, an era known for refinement and beauty placed within the decorative arts.
The fixé sous verre: the miniature-paintings.
The fixé sous verre technique is traditionally attributed to glass artists from Murano, being a large glass production center along the lagoon of Venice since the 16th century. This technique involves painting the patterns on the underside of a glass plate, giving the illusion of a framed picture and covered with another glass plate independently. This method derives its complexity from the strict order in which to paint the picture elements. Traditionally, the general aspects are first painted (face, sky, etc.) before realizing the details (small elements of a landscape, nose, eyes, face, etc.). In this case it is the reverse process to be performed. In addition, the artist must have a mastery of this technique to achieve the reversed motifs, never forgetting that the painting is seen from the other side of the glass plate. This process can be a derivative of the verre églomisé technique, which involves gold leafs under the glass.
However, according to some sources, the knowledge of this practice is attested in Antiquity, especially among Egyptians. The themes of their sous verrepaintings underwent the same evolution as traditional painting. Its debut had many religious images of ex-votos. It then followed the Caravaggio influence in landscapes. In the 18th century, the paintings of Largilliere, Chardin, Greuze and Boucher were also adapted into these small miniature paintings, never very large given the technical complexity. Today there are few contemporary artists able to practice this "art of miniature" aside from a few notable examples from the Dar Blaue Reiter, Kandinsky, etc.
Combining these two techniques render this 19th century booklet much more valuable as a true luxury item than would a simple notebook with leather blinding. We can not ignore this small jewel-notebook for it is a quality of execution worthy of the greatest goldsmiths and painters of the era.
Suzanne Kabanda (Etudiante à l'I.E.S.A.)
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