1901.] on Enamels. 515 



used five transparent colours, namely, two shades of saffre (cobalt), 

 turquoise made from sesustum (oxide of copper), grass-green from 

 crocus martis (iron), and violet from " peridot," or that form of 

 manganese ore which is found near the town of Perigueux, in the 

 vicinity of Limoges. 



There appears to have been no transparent red among the colours 

 used by Nardou, except small buttous of ruby placed upon little 

 spots of gold-leaf, to represent jewels, and which were freely sprinkled 

 over the picture. 



For flesh, a reddish tinge of violet was used. This was done by 

 painting the faces with a strong tint of violet, made from manganese 

 and iron, aud then, after this was fired, working over it with opaque- 

 white in gradations, so as to let the violet ground show through in 

 the thinner parts. This work was called " grisaille," being the name 

 then employed for white-shaded work in painted windows. A thin 

 glaze of violet was sometimes theu put over the grisaille. 



Metallic gold was lavishly used by Nardon Penicaud, though, 

 owing to the imperfect way in which it was fired, a great deal of it 

 has been rubbed off in the specimens of his work which we now 

 possess ; probably he used borax with it — a fatal practice. Not only 

 was this gold painted in on the high lights of the drapery, but it 

 was dotted in stars over the sky, or in curling ornaments or tongues 

 of fire over the backgrounds. 



He used red oxide of iron, that is to say, ordinary rouge (crocus 

 martis), to represent blood, and sometimes upon the lips, but he did 

 not employ this rouge otherwise. The principal tone of the colouring 

 is cobalt and turquoise. The effect is most rich and harmonious, 

 though the peculiar purple tone given to the flesh by the violet under- 

 ground somewhat mars it. 



There is an indescribable charm about Nardon's best work, due 

 to the fresh and ingenuous expression of the faces, and the skill with 

 which his simple colours are contrasted and united. The gold also 

 gives delicacy and richness, and, as the designs are usually taken from 

 the very best work of the great .Flemish masters, the composition is 

 generally excellent. 



During this period, that is to say, the end of the fifteenth century, 

 there seems also to have been executed some of the work known as 

 plique-a-jour. This is done by forming a number of cloisons without 

 any foundation, so as to resemble a sort of grating, into the interstices 

 of which enamel was melted. The effect is that of filigree work, filled 

 up with variously coloured transparent glass. Very few pieces have 

 survived. In the life of Benvenuto Cellini, he relates that Francis I. 

 showed him a specimen, and that he imitated it. There is no difficulty 

 in this work, the method of which will be described hereafter. It 

 is done to a limited extent at present in Russia, but genuine old 

 specimens are exceedingly rare. Work in this style is executed in 

 Geneva and in Sweden. 



The progress of enamelling which has been above described carries 



2 m 2 



