| Overview | The use of basse-taille enamel emphasizes Madame de Pompadour’s luxury, as it was popular during the Gothic and Renaissance periods, but had otherwise fallen out of style for centuries. Basse-taille enamel resurfaced once the elite of eighteenth-century France commissioned such snuffboxes. |
| Process | Basse-taille enamel was developed in response to the fully explored champleve technique. In order to produce the young girl’s three-dimensionality and chiaroscuro effect: the gold underneath was cut away, the young girl was chiseled, and translucent enamel was poured in varying thicknesses. |
| Origins | Basse-taille enamel originated in Siena, Italy and spread rapidly across the Rhine region to France and England. |
