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 .

niello black composition for filling in engraved designs, etc. XIX. — It.:- L. nigellus, dim. of niger black.

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.