Rivers of Colour: Cloisonné Enamels
Cloisonné, also known as Jingtailan in China, was introduced into China during the late Southern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. During the Jingtai Period of Ming Dynasty, an imperial workshop was set up and cloisonne developed at an unprecedented speed. Many innovate techniques and materials were used and new colours such as azure, cobalt blue and royal blue were invented. Painted with these bright colours, cloisonne became all the more refined and elegant. Because of this classic colour scheme and the sophisticated techniques developed during this time, cloisonne was also called Jingtailan, which means Jingtai Blue.
During Qing Dynasty, cloisonee remained popular in the palace and its techniques continued to develop. Kangxi and Qianlong were both particularly fond of it. A workshop was set up to manufacture cloisonne under the direct order of the emperor. In the New Year’s Eve of the 44thYear of Qianlong, cloisonne tableware was reserved for the emperor at the royal dinner while others could only use porcelains, demonstrating the royal status of cloisonne at that time.
Cloisonne is a highly complicated technique with the various processes. In addition to bronze and porcelains techniques, it also includes painting and carving, comprising different Chinese classic traditional crafts.
