Cloisonné – A Specialised Technique

Among Count Karl's many acquisitions were individual cloisonné items. One example of the three incense burners he brought back from East Asia is the patinated bronze vessel. The decoration of this object suggests it was made in the late 16th century, during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

A cast six-character mark from the Xuande period (1426-1435) can be found at the centre of the underside of the vessel. This mark is considered apocryphal, as it dates from an earlier period than that of the object's production.

The term cloisonné is a shortened form of the French "émail cloisonné". It refers to both the artisanal technique and the artwork that results from it.

For production, a blank, usually made of bronze or copper, is used. Thin metal bars are soldered onto this base, creating sections known as cloisons. Glass paint in various shades is filled into these cells. The cloisons prevent the glass colours from bleeding into one another during firing. After firing, the artwork is ground and polished, and the metal is gold-plated to prevent oxidation.

In Chinese, cloisonné is also referred to as Jingtai lan, which translates to Jingtai blue. This name originates from the bright turquoise blue background commonly seen in many cloisonné pieces, which was used during the Jingtai period (1450-1456) and later became synonymous with Chinese cloisonné.