craquelure

See also: Craquelure

English

WOTD – 13 November 2008

Craquelure in the Mona Lisa, with a typical "Italian" pattern of small rectangular blocks

Etymology

Borrowed from French craquelure.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /kɹæk.əˈlʊə/, /kɹæk.əˈljʊə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɹæk.əˈlʊɹ/, /kɹæk.əˈljʊɹ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

craquelure (countable and uncountable, plural craquelures)

1. (painting) The distinctive pattern of hairline cracks in the surface of an old painting.
   • 1914, Clive Bell, Art‎^[1]:

     Documentary evidence is what he prefers; but, failing that, he will put up with a cunning concoction of dates and watermarks, cabalistic signatures, craquelure, patina, chemical properties of paint and medium, paper and canvas, all sorts of collateral evidence, historical and biographical, and racy tricks of brush or pen.

   • 2005, Cory Doctorow, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town‎^[2]:

     Alan squinted. It was the robot, the one he’d given her, the pretty thing with the Dutch Master craquelure up its tuna-can skirts.

Derived terms

• craquelured

Translations

hairline cracks in painting

• French: craquelure (fr) f
• German: Craquelé n, Craquelure f
• Italian: craquelure f
• Polish: krakelura (pl) f
• Russian: кракелю́р (ru) m (krakeljúr), кракле́ (ru) n (kraklé)
• Spanish: craquelado m

See also

• crackle (ceramics)
• craze (pottery)

French

Etymology

From craqueler +‎ -ure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʁa.klyʁ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

craquelure f (plural craquelures)

1. a small crack, usually in paint, glaze, varnish and similar substances

Related terms

• craquelé

Descendants

• → English: craquelure
• → German: Craquelure
• → Italian: craquelure

Further reading

• “craquelure”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012