Front Cover for a Gospel Book with Scenes from the Infancy of Christ and Bearing the Arms of Cardinal Jean La Balue (1421-1491)
Front Cover for a Gospel Book with Scenes from the Infancy of Christ and Bearing the Arms of Cardinal Jean La Balue (1421-1491), Italy, Florence, 15th century c. 1467-1468
1952.109
Not on display
This book cover consists of an assemblage of silver plaques decorated in a technique known as niello, popular in Florentine goldsmith workshops. After a plate was engraved with a design, it was covered with a black powdery substance composed of sulfur and various metallic ingredients (nigellum in Latin). When heated, the nigellum flowed into the incised lines and, upon cooling, remained solidly fixed. The extra material was polished off the surface, leaving the engraved lines filled with the black substance. The dark lines contrast with the silver color of the plate, resulting in a highly legible image.
Some niello images were recorded-possibly as design references for workshop assistants-by making prints from the plates before filling the incised lines with the nigellum. This practice undoubtedly contributed to the development of engraved images created specifically for printmaking in 15th-century Italy. Pollaiuolo was among the goldsmiths working in Florence whose workshop produced niello work.
Images Copyright © the artist, their estate, and/or the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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