Quick Facts
- Plural:
- camaieux
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Narbonne Altarcloth
Detail from the Narbonne Altarcloth, scenes of the Passion of Christ, with portraits of Charles V of France and his queen, grisaille on silk, between 1364 and 1378; in the Louvre, Paris.
Camaieu
painting
Also known as: camaieux
Camaieu, painting technique by which an image is executed either entirely in shades or tints of a single colour or in several hues unnatural to the object, figure, or scene represented. When a picture is monochromatically rendered in gray, it is called grisaille; when in yellow, cirage. Originating in the ancient world, camaieu was used in miniature painting to simulate cameos and in architectural decoration to simulate relief sculpture.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.
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