champlevé

champlevé shäNləvāˈ [key], technique for the enamel decoration of metal objects. It was used by the Celts and Romans and employed by medieval metalworkers for jewelry and reliquaries until the 14th cent. Champlevé is produced by hollowing out parts of a design in metal and filling in the hollows with enamel. The technique has been revived by 20th-century craft-workers.

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