Frosting is a decorative effect named after its resemblance to the appearance of
frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...
. It involves making very small marks in a surface so that it appears matt rather than polished, and in glass opaque rather than optically transparent. It is often used for glass for bathrooms and toilets, but may be used on many materials and created by many processes.
Examples of ancient Egyptian steles
Eventually
Ancient Egyptian steles became more than just statements about a topic or events, and became a means of
decoration
Decoration may refer to:
* Decorative arts
* A house painter and decorator's craft
* An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc.
* An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing
Other ...
. Later period steles were made in dark stone, some approaching a light or deep black. The twin steles of
Nectanebo I
Nectanebo I (Egyptian: ; grc-gre, Νεκτάνεβις ; died 361/60 BCE) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the 30th.
Name
Nectanebo's Egyptian personal name was Nḫt-nb.f, which means "the strong ...
, his
Decree of Nectanebo I, made into two steles, and mounted in
Naucratis
Naucratis or Naukratis (Ancient Greek: , "Naval Command"; Egyptian: , , , Coptic: ) was a city and trading-post in ancient Egypt, located on the Canopic (western-most) branch of the Nile river, south-east of the Mediterranean sea and the city o ...
and Heracleion, are made in such a manner. The lunette scene of shallow, to medium sunken
bas relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
, as well as all the
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...
are made with a frosting technique. The highest effect can be seen on a stone of a dark background color.
High quality examples of frosting with lighter backgrounds probably exist in Ancient Egyptian art or culture.
Modern frosting techniques
Frosted glass
Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering the light which passes through ...
for decoration is probably the most popular use of the frosting technique; it is also a major production style of the
light bulb
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...
. Additionally, the term is used in
woodworking
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, woodworking joints, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with Rock (geology), stone, clay and animal parts, ...
, and is a process for adornment of coins, by ''frosting''.
File:Stele of Tchia-E 7717-IMG 2594-gradient.jpg, Egyptian stele honoring a scribe, (using the scribe hieroglyph),Wikimedia Commons: Scribe hieroglyph
/ref> the presumed honoree of the stele
File:Alexander the Great.jpg, Frosted hieroglyphs in a cartouche and scene parts, sunken incised glyphs, low bas relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
File:Musee_national_-_alexandrie_scribe_cubique.JPG, Block statue (Egyptian) of dk granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
, (use 2nd click for High-Res), with ''scene and hieroglyphs'' in "frosted technique"
File:AG relief en creux 1 Pc040477.jpg, Frosted hieroglyphs and cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fea ...
shown on medium-gray and white stone, Egypt of Pharaoh Senusret I
Senusret I (Middle Egyptian: z-n-wsrt; /suʀ nij ˈwas.ɾiʔ/) also anglicized as Sesostris I and Senwosret I, was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC (1920 BC to 1875 BC), and was one of the most ...
See also
*
Cameo (carving)
Cameo () is a method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel. It nearly always features a raised (positive) relief image; contrast with intaglio, which has a negative image. Originally, and still in discussing ...
*
Glossary of woodworking terms
This glossary of woodworking lists a number of specialized terms and concepts used in woodworking, carpentry, and related disciplines.
A
B
C
...
*
Frosted glass
Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering the light which passes through ...
References
External links
Stele of Naukratis, being retrieved. (Plus ''synoptic write-up'')
Sculpture techniques
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