Cloisonné is a decorative technique that involves applying enamel or melted colored glass to metal objects. It originated in the Middle East, then spread throughout the Byzantine Empire before reaching China via trade routes in the 14th century. The technique was perfected by Chinese artisans, who are perhaps best known for it today.
When cloisonné was first introduced to China, bronze and enamel work were already well-known and well-developed, so the art form flourished naturally. Many of the best and most distinctive examples date from the Ming Dynasty’s reign of the Jingtai Emperor (1449-1457). The Chinese word for cloisonné is jin-tai-lan, or “Jingtai blue,” because pieces from this period typically use a special blue shade of enamel.
Cloisonné starts with a metal object to be decorated, which is usually made of bronze. This could be a plate, a vase or urn, a bead or other piece of jewelry, or something else. Then, in a pattern to be filled in with enamel, small metal strips called cloisons are soldered onto the base. To permanently adhere the strips to the base, the piece is heated and cooled in an oven.
Following that, ground colored glass, or frit, is mixed with water and painted into the cloison-marked sections. Before the entire piece is fired again in an oven, it is allowed to dry. To complete a single cloisonné work, multiple applications of frit and firings are frequently required. To achieve a desired look, layers of different colors or transparencies of frit can be layered on top of each other. The piece is polished smooth to complete it. Cloisonné works are frequently electroplated with gold in the modern era to brighten the cloisons and other exposed metal areas while also preventing corrosion.
Cloisonné from the Ming Dynasty is extremely valuable and is frequently displayed in museums, but the art form is still alive and well, with pieces available in a wide range of quality and price. Cloisonné beads are frequently sold in bead stores and can be used to make jewelry, while larger pieces can be found in jewelry stores, Chinese craft stores, or online vendors. Items decorated with this technique come in nearly every color imaginable and depict a wide variety of patterns and subjects.