EARLIEST ENAMELS: The earliest enamels we know of come from Cyprus in the 13th c BC. See an article about them here
ROMAN ENAMELS Enamelling was practiced in both Greece and Rome in ancient times. Though much of the Greek material has been lost, many pieces of Roman enamelling have been found throughout their vast empire. Romans developed many innovations, notably the use of millefiori glass (literally 'thousand flowers') made by melting together rods of different colours and then stretching them to reduce the design)
IRON AGE CELTIC Around the 3rd c BC Celtic metal smiths began filling engraved spaces with glass. This technique was ideal for the bold abstract patterns typical of Iron Age design, adding the important element of colour to ritual objects and beginning a thousand year tradition of European champlevé For more information on this period click here
BYZANTINE The shift of power from Rome to Constantinople that marked the beginning of the Byzantine era was characterised by a boom in the arts.  Goldsmiths began developing methods of adding colour to their work using glass, melting it directly on to the metal between thin strips of soldered wire. This technique is now called 'cloisonné'. For more information on this period click here
EARLY MEDIEVAL While Eastern goldsmiths were developing cloisonné, the Western traditions of champlevé were being continued and developed. The aesthetic values of the pagan Anglo Saxon and Viking cultures were carried over into the new religious objects, as these peoples were converted to Christianity. For more information on Viking Art click here. For Anglo-Saxon Art click here
MEDIEVAL The beautiful gold cloisonnés of Byzantium flooded the west after Constantinople was sacked during the 4th Crusade, creating a market for small religious objects. Local craftsmen were inspired and stimulated by these new ideas, but found less expensive and time consuming ways of producing the objects, drawing on their long honed skills in champlevé.
LATE MEDIEVAL
PAINTED ENAMELS
GRISAILLE
LIMOGES
DEVELOPMENT OF LIMOGES
GERMAN
SWISS
FABERGE
PLIQUE-A-JOUR