Cloisonné
Cloisonné is a technique employed in the decorative arts whereby pulverized multicolored glass or enamel is fused onto a metal surface; the enamel is held in wire cells (from the French, cloisons). The technique came to China from the West in the fourteenth century (or earlier) and reached its height in the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644) under the rule of the Jingtai emperor (1428–1457). In fact, one of the terms by which cloisonné is known in China is Jingtai lan. Other names for cloisonné tell of the technique's foreign origins: a Ming text states that cloisonné came to China from Da Shi (Arabia) and Folang (Byzantium), thus yielding the names dashi yao, Arabian ware, and falan or falang, likely a corruption of the Chinese name for Byzantium.
Cloisonné enameling uses cells formed from slender metal wires to hold the enamel paste. These wires become part of the overall design of the piece and are soldered onto a metal foundation. The enamel paste is added to the cells, and the piece is fired at a temperature high enough to fuse the paste without destroying the metal cells or the foundation. Pieces often need to be fired a second time to correct any flaws in the enamel and to fill up the cells. The piece is then polished with a pumice stone to smooth the surface and increase its luster.
The earliest pieces carrying a reign mark date from the fifteenth-century reign of the Xuande emperor (1399–1435). The usual colors of these early pieces are a distinctive turquoise blue, a lapis lazuli blue, deep brown-red, yellow, green, black, and white. (A true pink was not seen until the famille rose palette was developed for porcelains in the early eighteenth century.) The pieces are strikingly simple in both shape and decoration. One characteristic of Ming cloisonné is the presence in the enamels of the solder used to hold the metal wires to the base. This was remedied in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century by the use of vegetable glues, which burned away in the heat of the firing.
During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), production of cloisonné wares increased due to the establishment under the Kangxi emperor (1654–1722) in 1680 of imperial palace workshops. It has been said that the aesthetic quality of pieces during this time suffered in the quest for technical perfection. This was especially true during the reign of the Qianlong emperor (1711–1799), when the wires were gilded, designs were complex and busy, and frequent firings dulled the finish. Despite the technical achievements of the eighteenth century, fifteenth-century pieces remain a high point of the enameler's art.
Further Reading
Brinker, Helmut, and Albert Lutz. (1989) Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection. New York: The Asia Society Galleries.
Garner, Harry M. (1962) Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle.
Jenyns, R. Soame. (1980) "Cloisonné and Champlevé Enamels on Copper." In Chinese Art II, edited by R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson. New York: Rizzoli, 105–142.
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