grisaille

gri·saille

noun \gri-ˈzī, -ˈzāl\

Definition of GRISAILLE

: decoration in tones of a single color and especially gray designed to produce a three-dimensional effect

Origin of GRISAILLE

French, from gris gray, from Middle French — more at grizzle

First Known Use: 1848

Rhymes with GRISAILLE

abseil, air mile, bass viol, black bile, Blue Nile, decile, erstwhile, exile, Fair Isle, field trial, gentile, high style, hostile, lifestyle, meanwhile, motile, nail file, New Style, old style, Old Style, on file, profile, redial, reptile, show trial, stockpile, time trial

grisaille

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Grisaille stained glass, detail of the Five Sisters Window, 13th century, Cathedral of St. Peter, …—Copyright Sonia Halliday and Laura Lushington

Painting technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of gray and usually modeled to produce the illusion of sculpture or relief. It was used especially by 15th-century Flemish painters (e.g., Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece, 1432) and in the late 18th century to imitate Classical sculpture in wall and ceiling decoration. It is sometimes used to produce monotone underpainting for translucent oil colours. In the 16th century grisaille enamels were developed in Limoges, France; the technique achieves a dramatic effect of light and shade and a pronounced sense of three-dimensionality.