Bidspirit auction | Superb Russian Silver Plique a

Superb Russian Silver Plique a Jour Double Cup, Evgeny Sarykin, Moscow, Circa 1980. - Superb Russian Silver Plique a Jour Double Cup, Evgeny Sarykin, Moscow, Circa 1980. Two gilt sterling silver cups with colorful enamel in the luxurious Plique a Jour technique, both feet can be removed and placed in the cups to form an egg shape. Height: 19cm. Diameter: 7cm. 251gr. Plique-a-jour (French for ”letting in daylight”) is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonne, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or translucent enamel. It is in effect a miniature version of stained-glass and is considered very challenging technically: high time consumption (up to 4 months per item), with a high failure rate. The technique is similar to that of cloisonne, but using a temporary backing that after firing is dissolved by acid or rubbed away. A different technique relies solely on surface tension, for smaller areas. In Japan the technique is known as shotai-jippo (shotai shippo), and is found from the 19th century on.