| [About Cloisonne] | | | | renewed a brilliant luster. Chinese Cloisonne Wares are |
| Cloisonne, also called 'Jingtai Blue' because the color | | | | popular both at home and abroad. In addition to the |
| blue is the most frequently used color for enameling. | | | | usual Cloisonne Vases, Cloisonne Paintings are also |
| It is one of the most famous arts and crafts in | | | | world-renowned and well received. Cloisonne painting |
| Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). | | | | adopts court colored drawing, and contains |
| Cloisonne is the technique of creating designs on | | | | ornamental, art and collected value and can be widely |
| metal vessels with colored-glass paste placed within | | | | used as a luxurious decoration for house, hotel, |
| enclosures made of copper or bronze wires, which | | | | meeting room, market, and dancing hall. Cloisonne |
| have been bent or hammered into the desired | | | | Paintings are also very popular presents for friends. |
| pattern. Known as cloisons (French for | | | | [How to Make Cloisonne] |
| "partitions"), the enclosures generally are | | | | Below is the process to make cloisonne. The whole |
| either pasted or soldered onto the metal body. The | | | | process needs 7 steps: Body Making, Copper wire |
| glass paste, or enamel, is colored with metallic oxide | | | | cutting, copper wire Inlay, Enamel Filling, Enamel Firing, |
| and painted into the contained areas of the design. | | | | Polishing and Gilding. Every step has to be perfect |
| The vessel is usually fired at a relatively low | | | | especially the enamel firing; if one fails, the entire |
| temperature, about 800°C. Enamels commonly | | | | work has been done in vain. |
| shrink after firing, and the process is repeated | | | | 1. Body Making: Copper is the materials used for |
| several times to fill in the designs. Once this process | | | | making the body. Because copper is very flexible and |
| is complete, the surface of the vessel is rubbed until | | | | can be easily hammered to the shape of the |
| the edges of the cloisons are visible. They are then | | | | products, like the vases, jars, bowls, plates, ashtrays |
| gilded, often on the edges, in the interior, and on the | | | | etc. |
| base. | | | | 2. Copper wire Cutting: Long copper-wire with several |
| [History of Cloisonne] | | | | layers struck tighter formed special copper filigree for |
| Beijing is the cradle of cloisonne technique. The | | | | one of the process of making Cloisonne. According to |
| earliest and existing cloisonne is the product in Yuan | | | | the drawing, the craftsmen cut the copper wire and |
| Dynasty, which we know it has nearly | | | | twist it into different shapes. So the flat copper wire |
| thousands-year history already. The original cloisonne | | | | is then fixed in certain patterns. |
| were most of the archaized bronze ware, especially | | | | 3. Copper wire Inlay: The craftsmen solder the |
| produced during the Xuande period of Ming dynasty | | | | patterned copper wire onto the body with special |
| is fine. | | | | glue as to make up a complicated but beautiful |
| During the course of Jingtai period of Ming that is | | | | complete pattern on the body. |
| between 1450 and 1456 craftsmen found a blue | | | | 4. Enamel Filling: In this workshop you can see some |
| glaze in navy-blue color which is elegant and decent | | | | plates containing different colored materials placed in |
| of the artworks. That is the cloisonne we are using | | | | front of the workers. The colored materials or |
| now. From then on, it seemed no any great | | | | enamel is a kind of mineral with rich colors. It is |
| breakthrough instead of the rapid development of | | | | ground in to tiny powder mixed in water and |
| using the coppery material, which used a pure | | | | contained in different plates. The workers put the |
| coppery with better extension. Thus, the cloisonne | | | | different tinny powder of various colors into the little |
| technique arrived the crest. | | | | compartments separated by the copper wires. By |
| Foreign influence also contributed to the development | | | | doing this, you can see a formed colorful pattern on |
| of cloisonne during the early fourteenth to fifteenth | | | | the copper body with enamel fillings. |
| century in China. The earliest securely dated Chinese | | | | 5. Enamel Firing: The copper body with enamel fillings |
| Cloisonne is from the reign of the Ming Xuande | | | | will be put into the oven where the temperature is |
| emperor (1426–35). However, | | | | about 900C (1650F). After firing, the colored enamel |
| cloisonné is recorded during the previous | | | | in the little compartments will sink down a bit. That |
| Yuan dynasty, and it has been suggested that the | | | | requires a repeated filling for several times (at least |
| technique was introduced to China at that time via | | | | three times) until the little compartments are finally |
| the western province of Yunnan, which, under | | | | filled up. |
| Mongol rule, received an influx of Islamic people. A | | | | 6. Polishing: There are three steps to polish the |
| very few cloisonne objects have been dated on | | | | unfinished products. The first step is done by |
| stylistic grounds to the Yongle reign (1403–24) | | | | machine polishing so as to make the copper wire and |
| of the early Ming dynasty. | | | | the fillings in the little compartments even. And then |
| [Use of Cloisonne] | | | | again the products are put to fire. After that the |
| Cloisonne Wares were intended primarily for the | | | | products need to be polished once more with a |
| furnishing of temples and palaces, because their | | | | whetstone. At last a piece of hard carbon is used to |
| flamboyant splendor was considered appropriate to | | | | polish the product again to make the product luster |
| the function of these structures but not well suited | | | | and smoothness on the surface. |
| to a more restrained atmosphere, such as that of a | | | | 7. Gilding: The last process is done by placing the |
| scholar's home. This opinion was expressed by Cao | | | | product in fluid of gold or silver, charged with electric |
| Zhao (or Cao Mingzhong) in 1388 in his influential Gegu | | | | current. The exposed parts of the copper wire and |
| Yaolun (Guide to the Study of Antiquities), in which | | | | the metal fringes on the product will be smoothly and |
| cloisonné was dismissed as being suitable only | | | | evenly gilded so that the metal part of the product |
| for lady's chambers. However, by the period of | | | | will not get rusty. Finally, the product will again |
| Emperor Xuande, this ware came to be greatly prized | | | | undergo another electroplating and then a slight |
| at court. | | | | polishing will be the final touch to the product. The |
| As traditional Chinese art, Cloisonne Wares have | | | | finished product is done! |