|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
niello
niello (from Latin: nigellus, diminutive of niger, ‘black, dark’). A black substance (typically sulphur, silver, lead, and copper) used as a decorative inlay on metal surfaces; the term can also be used to refer to the process of making such an inlay, and to a surface or object so decorated. The craft flourished particularly in Renaissance Italy, most notably in Florence and to a lesser extent Bologna. Niello prints are impressions taken from surfaces decorated in niello and are invariably Italian work of the second half of the 15th century. They were probably initially taken as proofs by niellists who wanted to see their work clearly, but it appears that these craftsmen then took to engraving plates with the express purpose of taking impressions from them, and many early examples of Italian line engraving show the influence of the niello craft. Maso Finiguerra, whom Vasari credits with the invention of line engraving, was both niellist and line engraver. In the 18th and 19th centuries there was a revival of interest in niello in Russia, where it was known as Tula-work, from the name of one of the towns notable for producing it. Typically the Russian craftsmen decorated small luxury items such as silver snuff boxes.
|
|
|
Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-niello.html IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-niello.html |
|
niello
niello. A black substance (typically sulphur, silver, lead, and copper) used as a decorative inlay on metal surfaces; the term can also be used to refer to the process of making such an inlay, and to a surface or object so decorated. Niello prints are impressions taken from such surfaces and are invariably Italian work of the second half of the 15th century. They were probably initally taken as proofs by niellists who wanted to see their work clearly. But it appears that these craftsmen then took to engraving plates with the express purpose of taking impressions from them, and many early examples of Italian line engraving show the influence of the niello craft. Maso Finiguerra, whom Vasari credits with the invention of line engraving, was both niellist and line engraver.
|
|
|
Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-niello.html IAN CHILVERS. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-niello.html |
|
niello
niello [Ital. from Latin nigellus =blackish], black metallic alloy of sulfur, copper, silver, and usually lead, used as an inlay on engraved metal. The metal surface is brushed with a borax solution as a flux, dusted with powdered niello, then heated. After cooling, the surface is scraped and shows a black pattern in the incised lines. Pulling a paper proof of the design in order to make corrections before inlaying is said to have been the start of printing from an engraved plate. The Egyptians are credited with originating niello decoration, which was practiced in classical times, spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, and came into high repute in the 15th cent. with the work of the Florentine goldsmith Finiguerra . |
|
|
Cite this article
"niello." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "niello." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-niello.html "niello." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-niello.html |
|
niello
niello black composition for filling in engraved designs, etc. XIX. — It.:- L. nigellus, dim. of niger black.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-niello.html T. F. HOAD. "niello." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-niello.html |
|
niello
niello •aloe, callow, fallow, hallow, mallow, marshmallow, sallow, shallow, tallow
•Pablo, tableau
•cashflow • Anglo • matelot
•Carlo, Harlow, Marlowe
•Bargello, bellow, bordello, cello, Donatello, fellow, jello, martello, mellow, morello, niello, Novello, Pirandello, Portobello, Punchinello, Uccello, violoncello, yellow
•pueblo • bedfellow • playfellow
•Oddfellow • Longfellow
•schoolfellow • Robin Goodfellow
•airflow • halo • Day-Glo
•filo, kilo
•armadillo, billow, cigarillo, Murillo, Negrillo, peccadillo, pillow, tamarillo, Utrillo, willow
•inflow • Wicklow • furbelow • Angelo
•pomelo • uniflow
•kyloe, lilo, milo, silo
•Apollo, follow, hollow, Rollo, swallow, wallow
•Oslo • São Paulo • outflow
•bolo, criollo, polo, solo, tombolo
•rouleau • regulo • modulo • mudflow
•diabolo • bibelot • pedalo • underflow
•buffalo
•brigalow, gigolo
•bungalow
•Michelangelo, tangelo
•piccolo • tremolo • alpenglow • tupelo
•contraflow • afterglow • overflow
•furlough • workflow
|
|
|
Cite this article
"niello." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "niello." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-niello.html "niello." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-niello.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
