A decorative art technique based on the climatatogical nature of frost

Frost

Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...

 is the technique of Frosting.

Examples of ancient Egyptian steles

Eventually Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

ian steles became more than just statements about a topic or events, and became a means of decoration. Later period steles were made in dark stone, some approaching a light or deep black. The twin steles of Nectanebo I

Nectanebo I

Nectanabo was a pharaoh of the Thirtieth dynasty of Egypt.In 380 BC, Nectanebo deposed and killed Nefaarud II, starting the last dynasty of Egyptian kings. He seems to have spent much of his reign defending his kingdom from Persian reconquest with the occasional help of troops from Athens or Sparta...

, his Decree of Nectanebo I

Twin steles of Decree of Nectanebo I

The Decree of Nectanebo I is a decree of Nectanebo I to be used on the Canopic branch of the Nile River, in the eastern Nile Delta of Lower Egypt...

, made into two steles, and mounted in Naucratis

Naucratis

Naucratis or Naukratis, , loosely translated as " power over ships" , was a city of Ancient Egypt, on the Canopic branch of the Nile river, 45 mi SE of the open sea and the later capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, Alexandria...

 and Heracleion, are made in such a manner. The lunette scene of shallow, to medium sunken bas relief, as well as all the Egyptian hieroglyphs

Egyptian hieroglyphs

Egyptian hieroglyphs were a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that combined logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood...

 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

Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering of light during transmission, thus blurring images while still transmitting light.Applications:...

 for decoration is probably the most popular use of the frosting technique; it is also a major production style of the light bulb. Additionally, the term is used in woodworking

Woodworking

Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...

, and is a process for adornment of coins, by frosting.

External links

• Stele of Naukratis, being retrieved. (Plus synoptic write-up)