camaieu

painting

Also known as: camaieux

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Plural:: camaieux

Related Topics:: painting; grisaille

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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.