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The Chinese Art Of Cloisonne
By Jane Roseen, Tue Jan 10th
Cloisonné is a unique combination of copper and porcelainworking skills, traditional painting, sculpting, and etchingskills. Originating in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368), cloisonné is an intricate process that requiresmany years of training for an artisan to master. Cloisonné underwent a major change during the Ming Dynastyaround 1426-1456 when a blue enamel was discovered, which givescloisonné its gorgeous look, and is still used today. MingDynasty cloisonné is considered the most intricate. Cloisonné pieces can be found in large objects, such as vasesand other large utensils and decorative items, as well as smallitems like earrings, bracelets, chopsticks, or jars.
The Making of a Masterpiece When visiting China, be sure to visit a cloisonné factory. It'san experience you won't soon forget. Cloisonné requires manyhours of pain-staking labor, and Chinese artisans have masteredthe entire process. It's amazing to watch each of the artisansin deep concentration creating these beautiful pieces. Step 1: Cloisonné Design The first step in creating one of these lustrous cloisonnépieces is to create the design. Artists draw the design on apiece of paper, which is then handed off to the next artisan inthe process. Step 2: Base Hammering In this step, copper sheets are hammered on to an enamel piece,whether it is a large vase or a small bracelet. The seams aresealed with copper solder and then the piece is put into a stoveto weld it. This is a time-consuming step and must be doneperfectly to achieve the desired effect. Step 3: Copper Wire Curving Unbeknownst to most people, cloisonné is not constructed of asingle piece of enamel. It is constructed instead of hundreds,and sometimes thousands of small copper wires glued to thecopper base. Workers shape a small red copper wire to make the design as thedesigner has instructed. These small, intricate designs can bebirds, flowers, or any of hundreds of other types of designs.The wires
are attached using small tweezers and pliers. Thecopper wires are then pasted on the surface of the copper body.Then another worker puts silver solder between the red copperwire and the red copper body. The piece is then put in the stovewhere the copper wires are welded onto the base. Step 4: Enamel Filling When cooled, workers polish the piece and then fill in the wiredesign with enamel materials according to the color design.Workers sit in front of a table using a small suction pipe tosuck the enamel from the colored dishes into the pipe. After filling the wires with enamel, workers absorb anyremaining moisture with cotton. The piece is then put in a kilnfor the first firing. During the firing process, the enamelshrinks. So when cooled, workers fill with more materials andfire again. This entire process is repeated three times untilthe enamel completely fills the copper wires. Step 5: Polishing The final step in this involved process is polishing. Workersuse emery stone to polish the cloisonné until it is very smooth.They even up the color enamel material with the copper wire. Ifthere are places where the enamel doesn't quite match evenlywith the copper wires, more enamel is added and the piece isfired again. The polishing process will begin again. Then a softyellow stone is used to grind off any larger imperfections.Charcoal is used last to grind the piece to a high sheen. Creating the gorgeous cloisonné pieces we see today takes time,patience, and ingenuity. Regardless of the type of cloisonnépiece that you have, including a beautiful tray to display yourgourmet chocolates, it is sure to add beauty and elegance toyour home or office. About the author:Jane S. Roseen became the sole Owner and President of HarmonySweets in 2005. Since then she has taken a small, successfulonline gourmet shop and made it a name recognizedworld-wide. Harmony Sweets' original mission focused onindividual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from aroundthe world for their friends and relatives. Roseen expanded thatmission to include corporate gift-giving. Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com
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