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Chinese
Cloisonne
Chinese Closionne is a famous traditional enamelware, known as the "Blue of Jingtai" in China, with a history of over 500 years.
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Closionne is a famous traditional enamelware, known
as the "Blue of Jingtai" in China, with
a history of over 500 years. It is so called because
"blue" was the typical colour used for enamelling
and "Jingtai" was the reign title of the
7th Ming emperor's reign. Enamelware became very popular
during the emperor's reign. There is a great variety
of products, such as the traditional vase, jar, bowl,
plate, box and ash-tray. A great number of new varieties
have also been created.
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They are brilliant in colours and splended in esign
and enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad.
Cloisonne is one of the famous arts and crafts of
Beijing.
The making of cloisonne requires rather elaborate
and complicated processes: base-hammering, copper-strip
inlay, soldering, enamel-filling, enamel-firing, polishing
and gilding. |
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Base-hammering of body is the first step in the
making of cloisonne. The material used for making
the body is copper, because copper is easily hammered
and stretched. This step requires a sound judgement
in the shaping and uniformity of thickness and weight.
It is in fact the work of the copper-smith. |
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The only difference is that when an article is shaped,
the copper-smith's work is finished, whereas the cloisonne
craftsman's work has just begun. |
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The second step is filigree soldering. This step
requires great care and high creativeness. The artisan
adheres copper strips onto the body. These strips
are of 1/16 inch in diametre and of lengths as the
artisan desires. The strips of filigree thus adhered
make up a complicated but complete pattern. |
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The artisan has a blueprint in mind and he can make
full use of his experience, imagination and aesthetic
view in setting the copper strips on the body. |
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The third step is to apply colour
which is known as enamel filling. The color or emamel
is like the glaze on ceramics. It is called falang.
Its basic elements are boric acid, saltpetre and
alkaline. Owing to the difference in the minerals
added, the colour differs accordingly. Usually one
with much iron will turn grey, with uranium, yellow,
with chromium, green, with zinc, white, with bronze,
blue, with gold or iodine, red. In time of filling,
all the colours, ground beforehand into minute powder
and contained in plates, are placed in front of
the workers and are then applied on the little compartments
separated by filigree.
The fourth step is enamel firing. This is done
by putting the article, with its enamel filling,
to the crucible. After a short moment, the copper
body will turn red. But after firing, the enamel
in the little compartments will sink down a bit.
That will require a re-filling. This process will
go on repeatedly until the little compartments are
finally filled.
The fifth step is polishing. The first polish is
with emery. Its aim is to make the filigree and
the filled compartments even. The whole piece is
again put to fire, then polished once more with
a whet-stone. Finally, a piece of hard carbon is
used to polish again so as to obtain some lustre
on the surface of the article.
The sixth step is gilding. This is done by placing
the article in fluid of gold or silver, changed
with electric current. The exposed parts of the
filigree and the metal fringes of the article will
again undergo another electroplating and a slight
polish. |
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