craquelure

American  

[krak-loor, krak-loor, krak^uh-lyr] / krækˈlʊər, ˈkræk lʊər, krakəˈlür /

noun

• craquelures
  plural

1. a network of fine cracks or crackles on the surface of a painting, caused chiefly by shrinkage of paint film or varnish.

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craquelure British  

/ ˈkrækəlʊə /

noun

1. a network of fine cracks on old paintings caused by the deterioration of pigment or varnish

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• craquelures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of craquelure

First recorded in 1910–15; < French, equivalent to craquel(er) “to crackle, crack” (imitative) + -ure -ure

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

craquelure

At Pearl Lam, the delicate craquelure of the monochrome panels by Su Xiaobai connects them to historic painting and celadon pottery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

A recent painting by Vija Celmins, “Vase,” offers a close-up of the side of a Chinese porcelain vase, with its finely rendered craquelure glaze.

From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2019

Q: You get a lot of texture and craquelure in your glazes.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 5, 2019

One studio displays enormous, craquelure paintings created in the last two years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2016

A gifted forger can copy a painting, but he cannot copy a craquelure.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day