Basse-taille

Basse-taille (bahss-tah-ee) is an enamelling technique in which the artist creates a low-relief pattern in metal, usually silver or gold, by engraving or chasing. The entire pattern is created in such a way that its highest point is lower than the surrounding metal. A translucent enamel is then applied to the metal, allowing light to reflect from the relief and creating an artistic effect. It was used in the late Middle Ages, and then again in the 17th century.

The technique had been known to the Ancient Romans, but was lost at the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century. Translucent enamel is more fragile than opaque, and medieval survivals in good condition are very rare. Medieval examples begin in Italy in the 13th century, with the earliest dated work being a chalice by the Sienese goldsmith Guccio di Mannaia, made for Pope Nicholas IV about 1290, which is part of the collection of the Treasure Museum of the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi.

The technique then spread to other centres for high-quality courtly work, at a time when the champlevé enamels associated above all with Limoges had become almost mass-produced and relatively cheap. It is generally agreed that the late 14th century Royal Gold Cup, now in the British Museum, is the outstanding surviving example of basse taille enamel. It is one of only four known survivals done on gold, including both secular or religious pieces; another is the small Salting Reliquary, also in the British Museum. The "King John Cup" in King's Lynn, of ca. 1340, silver-gilt with transparent enamel, is the best example of basse-taille work probably made in England; the metalwork expert Herbert Maryon describes this and the Royal Gold Cup as the "two examples of outstanding merit, unsurpassed in any collection". However it is unclear if most of the enamel at King's Lynn is original.

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