Lot Essay
The history of cloisonné enamel dates back to over 500 years ago to the reign of Jingtai (1450-1456) in the Ming dynasty. It is the decorative art of applying enamel of all colors to the surface of a gold, copper or bronze object which is then fired to become a bright and colorful work of art.
The making of cloisonné involves an elaborate and complicated processes: The artist creates the outline of the desired motif by arranging thin gold wires. These partitions, called "cloisonné" in French, are filled with small quantities of enamel powder in the desired colour. The object is then fired in an oven at around 1000 degrees Celsius causing the powder to melt. Finally it has to be hand-polished until obtaining of a perfectly flat surface.
The making of cloisonné involves an elaborate and complicated processes: The artist creates the outline of the desired motif by arranging thin gold wires. These partitions, called "cloisonné" in French, are filled with small quantities of enamel powder in the desired colour. The object is then fired in an oven at around 1000 degrees Celsius causing the powder to melt. Finally it has to be hand-polished until obtaining of a perfectly flat surface.