Chinese Cloisonne, also known as jingtailan，is a unique combination of sculpture, painting, porcelain making and copper-smithing.
Cloisonne is said to have originated in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) but underwent a major change during the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when a new blue pigment was discovered. Hence Jingtailan got its current name based on the Chinese word lan for blue. Cloisonne reached its peak during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) due to great innovations in copper-melting techniques.
Making Cloisonne requires rather elaborate and complicated processes: making the copper-body; the copper-strip inlay; filling in the colorful enamel materials, burning it in the stove, finishing the surface and gilding. Each cloisonne piece is fired three times with a fresh coat of enamel each time. After firing, the pieces are polished to look like gold. This requires sophisticated techniques and an artistic flair.
Cloisonne is one of Beijing's famous four kinds of arts and crafts commodities. It is well known for its elegant shape, harmonious colors, various categories and brilliant characteristics at home and abroad.
Nowadays, because more and more senior craftsmen are passing away, the production factory is struggling to survive and this outstanding technique is on the verge of disappearing.
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