Basse-taille enamel

Basse-taille is an enamelling technique in which a design is engraved or modelled into a metal ground and covered with translucent enamel. Light passes through the enamel and reflects from the metal. Differences in depth create lighter and darker areas.

How to recognise it

The technique appears on jewellery, small decorative objects and ecclesiastical metalwork. The design lies beneath a continuous enamel surface. This differs from cloisonné, where metal wires form visible cells, and from champlevé, where recessed fields are filled while metal divisions often remain visible.

Assessment

Look for relief or engraving visible through transparent enamel. Losses may expose the metal, but damage alone does not identify the technique. Material, workmanship and any marks should be considered together.

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Belt with Basse-Taille Enamel.