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Cloisonné of Beijing
 Cloisonné
is a French word from past participle of cloisonner meaning "to
partition". The word is used both as adjective and as noun. In the
decorative arts, cloisonné refers to an enameling technique or any product
of that technique, which consists of soldering to a metal surface delicate
metal strips bent to the outline of a design and filling the resulting
cellular spaces, called cloisons (French: “partitions,” or
“compartments”), with vitreous enamel paste. The object then is fired,
ground smooth, and polished. Sometimes metal wire is used in place of the
usual gold, brass, silver, or copper strips.
Among the earliest examples of cloisonné are six Mycenaean rings of the
13th century bc. The great Western period of cloisonné enameling was from
the 10th to the 12th century, especially in the Byzantine Empire. In China
cloisonné was widely produced during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing
(1644–1911/12) dynasties, although the beginning of cloisonné dates back
to Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It was during the reign of Emperor Jing
Tai (景泰) of Ming Dynasty when cloisonné became really popular, hence
the name Jing Tai Blue as cloisonné is known among the Chinese. In
Japan, it was especially popular during the Tokugawa (1603–1868) and Meiji
(1868–1912) periods. |
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