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- bronze as the material for the base, and the
vessels become much lighter. During the Ming,
the wires were soldered to the body and after
firing this often caused bubbles and discoloura-
tion in the enamel. By Qing times, vegetable
glue was used to fasten the wires to the body,
thus eradicating the problems caused by solder-
ing. Other earlier defects were remedied in the
eighteenth century by repeated firings. Better
control of firing allowed for a smoother surface
with fewer pit holes, and polishing with pumice-
stone brought about a smooth and lustrous sur-
face. Heavy gilding of lip and foot, and of the
cloison wires was particularly favoured in this
century.
All these new innovations allowed for easier
production and greater refinement than ever
before.
Cloisonne artisans of the Qing dynasty used
a greater variety of colours than the Ming did.
The perfection of technique allowed for a more
skilful blending of colours, and the development
of additional colours greatly enhanced the natu-
ralistic designs that could be made. Around
1720, a true pink of the so-called famille rose
colour derived from gold chloride was intro-
duced from Europe, thereby replacing the mixed
red and white salami-like enamel known as
Ming Pink. The presence of this purer pink is
a sure sign that a piece is no earlier than the
eighteenth century.
New forms in the late seventeenth and eight-
eenth century include Buddhist ritual objects,
vases of archaic ritual bronze vessel shapes, and
sculptured forms such as stylized figures of ani-
mals and birds, and occasionally human beings.
After four centuries of experimentation with
cloisonne, together with tremendous imperial
recognition and support for the craft, cloisonne
entered its Golden Age during the eighteenth
century. The Chinese art of cloisonne reached
its zenith during the reign of Emperor Qian-
long (1736-1795). The objects were technically
near perfect, massive, heavily gilded, and over-
powering to the viewer.
During his reign a wide range of intricate
decorations were used with motifs of antiquity,
mythology, symbolism, and the beauty of nature,
serving as inspiration. The lotus scroll and floral
designs on the cloisonne of his period tend to be
quite consistent having parallel wired stems
with several different colours in the middle,
which give a pleasant but discontinuous effect.
Furthermore at this time, many antique cloi-
sonne vessels were embellished with new fittings
in gilt-bronze or gold, and often the Jingtai
reign mark was affixed to the base to add lustre
to the piece; as they believed that the best cloi-
sonne was made during his reign in the fifteenth
century.
The quality of cloisonne during the nine-
teenth century is thought to have gradually de-
clined, only to finally re-emerge again with an
increased mastery of the craft in the People�s
Republic of China.
1 Stages in the Manufacture
of Cloisonne
Gift of Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Nixon,
The Pagoda Shop, Vancouver, B.C.
AGGV 62.231
2 Vase
Ming dynasty; late 15th century
h. 14 cm; The Reid Collection
The conventional shape of this vase, with
domed shoulders gently tapering to the
lower section, is derived from a ceramic
vase form called meiping. This vase is deco-
rated with a well-spaced overall simple
lotus scroll design. The lotus blossoms,
borne on slender curling stems, are on a
turquoise blue background. Rising from the
narrow base is a fern leaf pattern. Coarsely
filled cloisons and split wires point to a
very early date.
3 Beaker
Ming dynasty; ca. 1500
h. 10.5 cm; The Reid Collection
The classic shape of this beaker, with tall
flared neck rising from a central bulb sup-
ported on a splayed base, is copied from
an ancient ritual bronze wine vessel called
a gu. It is decorated with a crude lotus
scroll design and a five-petalled flower pat-
tern inside the upper rim.
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