Byzantine cloisonné enamel

Type Object Region Byzantine Empire Time c. 900–1000

A decorative craft of outlining with fine gold wires on a metal body and firing colored enamel glazes; the 10th century was its Byzantine heyday.

Timeline

c. 900–920Court workshops of Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireIn the early 10th century the cloisonné enamel technique of Constantinople's court workshops reached its peak, with craftsmen partitioning with gold wire and firing glazes; works were mostly used for imperial ceremonies and Orthodox relic decoration.
c. 940–970Hagia Sophia · ConstantinopleIn the mid-10th century cloisonné enamel products were widely seen on crowns, crosses and icon plaques, some works bestowed on foreign envoys as diplomatic gifts, embodying Byzantine craft authority.
c. 980–1000Thessaloniki, Greece · GreeceBy the late 10th century the Byzantine cloisonné enamel technique spread through church and trade networks to Greece, Bulgaria and elsewhere, becoming an important decorative tradition of medieval Eastern European religious art.

Byzantine Art and Architecture: An Introduction — Lyn Rodley (1994)
The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261 — Helen C. Evans (1997)