How To Buy Cloisonne

Have you ever heard of cloisonne? This is a very old metalworking technique that originated in Beijing, China during the Yuan Dynasty that ran from 1271 to 1368. It has been used to produce exquisite jewelry, boxes, flatware, serving pieces, wall pieces, beads, sculptures and especially vases and the technique was perfected in Japan and China during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Cloisonne combines the two old techniques of bronze making and porcelain ware. And when combined again with traditional painting and sculpture some very beautiful pieces have been created over the centuries. Cloisonne is often mistaken by many people for porcelin in vases and other containers, they look very similar at first glance. But cloisonné is very much like a stained glass piece: both are intricate techniques whereby images or pictures are built up by arranging colored panels that are separated by metal dividers. In cloisonné pieces, these panels are often bounded by silver or gold wires called cloisons which is the French word for "partitions" or "compartments". Chinese cloisonné can sometimes be confused with Canton enamel which is a similar type of enamel work that is painted on freehand but does not utilize the partitions to hold the colors separate. In short, cloisonne is the decorative art of applying different colored enamel to the surface of a copper or bronze object which is then fired to become a bright and colorful work of art.

During the mid-1400s and the reign of Ming Emperor Ching T'ai, cloisonne production was extremely robust and amazing and it was during this time that many cloisone works of the most exquisite quality were produced. Most famous are the blue vases where cloisonne was combined with a special blue enamel used as the base color. This is where the term for cloisonné in Chinese comes from: ching-t'ai-lan (``Ching-t'ai Blue'').

Japanese artisans and craftsman also created top quality pieces with the cloisonné technique but changed it somewhat for a brief period. At one point they began to make cloisonné on porcelain instead of the traditional cloisonné on copper or bronze as done by the Chinese. However, beautiful pieces in porcelain were only made for a short period because the technique was very difficult. A return to the traditonal methods of cloisonné on copper ocurred when new technical methods made it much easier to produce beautiful pieces. Some famous Japanes artisans of cloisonne were Namikawa Yasuyuki and Namikawa Sosuke and their pieces are highly sought today.

In the very beginning cloisonne pieces produced were reserved for the Emperor and his court as well for use in the temples. It was actually considered to flamboyant for the average home. But today everyone can enjoy the magnificence of this art work in various ways from vases to jewelry. Search out cloisonne pieces for yourself today and make your life and surroundings that much brighter.
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