| Wikipedia on Chinese cloisonne | |||||
| Re: Re: Speculating about the history of cloisonné beads -good luck Beadiste! -- highlander | Post Reply | Edit | Forum | Where am I? | |
Mail author11/14/2014, 14:21:18
From Byzantium or the Islamic world the technique reached China in the 13-14th centuries; the first written reference is in a book of 1388, where it is called "Dashi ware". No Chinese pieces clearly from the 14th century are known, the earliest datable pieces being from the reign of the Xuande Emperor (1425–35), which however show a full use of Chinese styles suggesting considerable experience in the technique.[18] It was initially regarded with suspicion by Chinese connoisseurs, firstly as being foreign, and secondly as appealing to feminine taste. However by the beginning of the 18th century the Kangxi Emperor had a cloisonné workshop among the many Imperial factories. The most elaborate and highly valued Chinese pieces are from the early Ming Dynasty, especially the reigns of the Xuande Emperor and Jingtai Emperor (1450–57), although 19th century or modern pieces are far more common. The Chinese industry seems to have benefited from a number of skilled Byzantine refugees fleeing the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, although based on the name alone, it is far more likely China obtained knowledge of the technique from the middle east. In much Chinese cloisonné blue is usually the predominant colour, and the Chinese name for the technique, jingtailan ("Jingtai blue ware"), refers to this, and the Jingtai Emperor. Quality began to decline in the 19th century.
What I'm finding most interesting about Chinese cloisonne is how the craft relates to the 150 years it took for the Qing dynasty to disintegrate and China to be unified once again under the Communist Party. What type of pieces got made and for what sorts of clientele, what colors of enamels were developed, how styles morphed...
The Chinese managed to pull this difficult art through 150 years of catastrophe, which is just plain awesome. The years 1950-1976 are turning out to be especially interesting.