Brooch

Margret Craver, Brooch, ca. 1969, gold and enamel en resille, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josephine Withers, 1988.14
Copied Margret Craver, Brooch, ca. 1969, gold and enamel en resille, 3⁄8 x 2 1⁄8 in. (1.0 x 5.5 cm.) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josephine Withers, 1988.14

Artwork Details

Title
Brooch
Artist
Date
ca. 1969
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3⁄8 x 2 1⁄8 in. (1.0 x 5.5 cm.) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Josephine Withers
Mediums
Mediums Description
gold and enamel en resille
Classifications
Object Number
1988.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1988.14

Artwork Description

This type of enameling began around 1623 in France and was popular for only a decade. The full name, émail en résille sur verre, means "enamel in a network on glass," and the technique creates a floating transparency in the colors of this necklace. Margret Craver cut paper-thin slivers of metal, coated them with enamel, and then fused them to the bottom layer of glass. The sides of the gold setting are also open, allowing more light to reflect off the enamel work from nearly every angle. Craver first saw an example of en résille in 1953 and spent thirteen years perfecting the technique.