Cloisonne Antiques: What You Need to Know

Cloisonné antiques are one of the favorite vintage collectibles of those who keep treasured collections. Avid antique collectors favor cloisonné antiques because of its unique quality and delicate beauty. Oftentimes, these cloisonné antiques are even mistaken as porcelain, but in fact, it is even more expensive.

Cloisonné antiques, even though they appear as products of meticulous clay molding or glass work, is in fact a product of the ancient art of metalworking. Even though cloisonné antiques seemingly exhibit the qualities of ceramics, the art and technique of its fabrication is in fact similar to the technology used in stained glass. In these collectibles, silver or gold wires are intricately bound together in cloisons, a French term for “partitions.”

Although the term cloison traces French origins, the art of cloisonné antique making was in fact highly dominant in the Japanese culture way back in the 1800s. In doing such art, a design is first sketched on paper with the image chopped into “cells” as if a puzzle or a paint-by-numbers page we see in children’s coloring books. After drafting the design and dividing it into pats, a series of lines are made using cloisons through the aid of handy pliers. The wires are bent carefully, forming into the shape of the sketch, achieving the entirety of the design. This part of the process sort of acts as scaffolding to the masterpiece before the undecorated metal plate is painted and layers on top of the said metalwork. Then after, clear-fire is applied onto the surface of the bound wires to keep them in place during the heating process. The cloisonné antiques are usually placed on fire to about 1400 Fahrenheit. During this process, any traces of the clear-fire liquid would diminish while the wires sink slightly into the layer of enamel. The process likewise allows that the enamel and the wires would be permanently married to the plate as the object is cooled and as it hardens. The price of the cloisonné antiques are usually steep because of the painstaking process which is involved after the heating process. The mastery of the hands and the artistic craftsmanship are indeed tested as the colored enamels are carefully brushed to each cell of one masterpiece, then having each cell heated one by one. The brushing and the heating of each sells is a repeated process until the design is achieved.

Even as the art was perfected in Japan, numerous cloisonné antiques were also produced by the neighboring Asian country of Japan – China. Vases and ornaments for display were mostly produced by China. There are varying claims on who amongst the Chinese and the Japanese really paved the way towards the perfection of the art. In any way, the popularity of the intricate beauty of this art has also extended to fashion. There are more and more retailers who sell equally treasure-worthy cloisonné jewelry, specifically bracelets and earrings. These usually come in designs close to nature – ladybugs, peacock, flowers, parrots and many more. Cloisonné making is indeed a generational art.