Cloisonne

Cloisonné, or inlaid enamel, has a rich history of well over 500 years. As blue is the dominant color adopted for enameling, cloisonné or "Blue of Jingtai" reached the pinnacle of its form in the hands of Chinese artisans, with Chinese cloisonné becoming the standard by which beauty and quality in a cloisonné object is measured. Becoming prevalent during the reign of Jingtai (1450--1456) in the Ming Dynasty, the technique for cloisonné enameling was passed onto China by missionaries from central Asia sometime in the early to mid-14th century.

The making of Cloisonné involves an elaborate and complicated process:

• Copper is hammered and stretched by a coppersmith to form the body of cloisonné.
• Upon completion of the desired copper form, brass wires are soldered to the surface of a copper object to form a design or illustration. Great care is taken to create what is often quite an intricate design, not unlike embroidery.
• Colored enamel is used to fill in areas designated by the artisan according to the requirements of the design. Enamel is made by melting different materials such as red lead, boric acid borate, and glass powder together to become an opaque or translucent glistening material. A variety of oxidized metals are added, and the substance then changes into enamels of differing colors. For example, an excess of iron will turn gray, uranium yellow, chromium green, bronze blue, zinc white and gold or iodine red. Once cooled, the melted enamel solidifies, is then ground into powder, mixed with water to form a paste, where finally it is applied to the small compartments in the prearranged design separated by filigree.
• Next comes the firing process. After every firing, there is often a natural contraction, which produces an uneven surface. The uneven areas are refilled with enamel paste of the same color and the process is repeated as many times as necessary until all filled in spaces are smooth without any discernable depressions, at which point the firing stage is considered complete.
• Once fired, the enamelware surface must be polished smooth so that the soldered brass filigree and enamel compartments forming the pattern are even. The polishing process is performed again and again utilizing various methods, with re-firing employed.
• Finally, the object is plated in gold or silver to keep it rust-free, with a final polishing.

Cloisonné has been highly appraised both in China and abroad given the brilliance of color and intricacy of design. This method has been utilized to create a variety of beautiful cane handles and even shafts.

A late 19th century good quality Russian “Cloisonné Enamel” silver and gold handle mounted on a well- spotted snakewood shaft with horn ferrule. Bears Russian hallmarks.