![[Asset 9.png]] The project presented here is a period reproduction Champleve style enamel from the Enamels of Limoges book. See page 93 of the Enamels of Limoges book for the reference. I also screenshotted the page and added it to this document below. Further, the only images of these medallions I could find were in the Enamels of Limoges book. Thus, the original images are low resolution and I had to guess at some of the colors and linework, in addition to some of the color from the originals having been lost. The “Three Medallions Decorated with Birds” were originally produced in the third quarter of the 12th century. These medallions use several different solid colors with some blending in the same cloisens. The original medallions have four holes each that were likely drilled a significant time after their creation. The original mounting was in a bezel similarly to many other Limoges enamels that were attached to boxes in period. I likewise repurposed the mounting and intend to use these primarily as necklace or pin based decoration. I don't want to detail the entire enameling process here so that I can keep this focused on the birds. For the general procedure on how I do my enameling, please see the [[General Enameling Procedure]] page. ## Bird Medallion Background As indicated above, the time period of this re-production champleve enamel is the late 12th century. The original medallions are very ornate birds drawn and engraved onto the metal. They were engraved on copper and gilt (using fire gilding, which is extremely dangerous - see below) after being enameled with several colors: lapis and lavender blue, emerald and meadow green, and garnet red. It appears that these medallions were used to adorn some coffret. According to the Limoges book, the origin of these medallions isn’t certain. These birds are very similar to the design of birds that were found on artifacts from Silos in Spain, and on other isolated medallions. Further, the ornamentation of the birds matches the ornamentation on the Chasse of Champagnat (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464559) from France, which amplifies the uncertainty of their origin. Ultimately, these medallions incorporate styles that can be seen all over Europe. ## Enamels of Limoges Excerpt ![[limoges_book_birds.png]] ## Construction ![[Asset 15.png]] These medallions were created using a combination of modern and medieval methods. The [[General Enameling Procedure|procedure document]] examines the process in much greater details with detailed instructions (with a comparison between modern and medieval) and photograph documentation. The colors were matched as close as possible to the originals using the pictures as a guide. The colors listed in the Limoges book could not be found exactly, so the following colors were used: - All were unleaded enamels from Thompson Enamels - Cobalt Blue - Harvest Blue - Jungle Green - Harvest Green - Flame Red ![[Asset 14.png]] These birds were challenging to create largely because of their ornate nature and, more importantly, the amount of colors in small spaces that were used. This is my first project where I had to do this so it required some special attention. All of the enamels react differently when exposed to the heat of the kiln multiple times and durations. In particular, the Jungle Green is particularly sensitive and tends to turn black very easily - much faster than any of the other colors. Because of the complexity of the coloring and design, the enamel had to be applied in different sections in small amounts to be fired many more times than most enamels. Care also had to be taken to fire the Jungle Green as few times as possible. ### Miscellaneous Differences A lot of the tools I use are likewise different than what is described in period manuals and artwork. However, unless otherwise described they are functionally similar. Something to note is that in medieval workshops these tasks all would be divided amongst a team of metal workers. By contrast, the work is done mostly by me and occasionally a few helpers (especially for the art). We’re able to accomplish a lot with only a few people with the methods we use to enamel. Also, the enamel powder we use is likely more consistent as well, and possibly uses different additives to create the various colors. I typically use 80 mesh enamel and don’t have to worry about sifting any myself. Medieval enameling was done, as mentioned above, using lump enamel. This has to be broken up and sifted to the proper size. However, it is generally still placed using wet inlay. One really important detail is that the enameling that I do is not gilded at all. It’s a pretty obvious color difference in the finishing, and there are two major reasons for that. First, gilding done in period was done with a gold and mercury amalgamation in a process called Fire Gilding. The process is described in Theophilus’ book On Divers Arts, and is briefly described here: gold and mercury were combined together and rubbed over the metal to be gilded. When sufficient, the mercury was vaporized in a furnace which left the gold behind. Mercury vapor is highly poisonous and is thus not done. The second important reason these enamels aren’t gilded is because it’s expensive. Modern gilding is typically done using electroplating. The setup and solutions are very expensive, and paying a shop to do it is likewise prohibitively expensive. However, overall the finished enamel is very similar to what was produced in period. ![[Asset 8.png]]