Damascene Dish Plate, 24k Gold Inlaid, Toledo Spain, Vintage 1970
Damascene Dish Plate, 24k Gold Inlaid, Toledo Spain, Vintage 1970
Damascene Blackened Steel 24 Karat Yellow Gold Bird Motif with Border Design - handmade in Toledo, Spain (Most likely by Anframa SA in the mid-1970s ). This smallish 12cm flat decorative dish stands out with above average complexity of design. Featuring a hand-engraved damascene scene full of fine intricacies bezel set in steel with 3 sturdy, even legs for display. Coaster sized elegance, it’s perfect to store earrings, rings or change _ or to simply to be admired as a piece of historically relevant art. A small scratch in steel on the reverse can probably be buffed out.
The 1500-year traditional art of decorating non-precious metals with gold has roots in the Middle Ages and originates from the oriental-style artisan work done in Damascus, Syria. Damascene items generally reflect two distinct traditional types of patterns; the Arabesque or geometric designs, and Renaissance motifs, displaying variations of birds and flowers - like this one.
These patterns are obtained by engraving deep, patterned cuts into steel and then placing a gold foil into the lines of the design. This foil is hammered until the gold (18/greenish and 24/yellow carat) penetrates into the cuts, forming the design. Each piece is treated with a bluing solution to obtain oxidation and create a black background.
