1、1Chinese CloisonnWHEN visiting the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace or any former imperial residence, one can always find beautiful Chinese cloisonn wares on display. Such crafts, made with red copper, are also known as Jingtai Blue. Making the distinctive objects is a comprehensive and sophisticat
2、ed process, an integration of foreign enamel techniques, traditional Chinese bronze and porcelain making, as well as traditional painting and etching skills. The Humblest and Grandest Admirers Cloisonn was a symbol of nobility and wealth in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and was
3、 supplied exclusively to the royalty in these times. It took radical political change for the technique and its products to become available to commoners. Beijing was the cradle of this complex handicraft. It is believed that the enameling technique reached China through missionaries from Central As
4、ia sometime in the late Yuan 2Dynasty (1271-1368). Shortly after its introduction, the Chinese made cloisonn enameling a distinctive art form by mastering the skill of bronze casting and the glazing techniques in which artisans had to accurately control the firing temperature. Products of this perio
5、d are modeled on the elegant porcelain style of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The technique came into its heyday during the reign of Emperor Jingtai (1450-1456) in the Ming Dynasty. Craftsmen of this period substantially improved the coloring skill and found a sapphirine pigment that gave the product
6、s a certain class and solemnity in tune with the Oriental aesthetic. People dubbed it Jingtai Blue. Although various colors of enamels were perfected later on, blue remained the dominant color of the works. Gradually, Jingtai Blue replaced cloisonn as the referent for this kind of craft. During the
7、reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, the Jingtai Blue manufacturing technique reached its zenith. Colors were more delicate, filigrees more flexible and fluent, and the products made from it included almost every kind of daily necessity. Snuff bottles, incense burners, chopsticks and bowls w
8、ere common, but the best Jingtai Blue works produced during this mature period included even furniture. 3A Jingtai Blue workshop was set up in the Forbidden City during the Qing Dynasty, specializing in producing enamelware for the royal family. Common people had little access to Jingtai Blue until
9、the late Qing Dynasty when the breakup of the imperial court ended with craftsmen being dismissed. Private workshops then began to emerge, and Jingtai Blue wares began to trickle into the general market. Soft Fire Makes Sweet Malt Producing Jingtai Blue is a highly complicated process. It starts wit
10、h mold-making. Copper is easy to hammer and stretch, so is an ideal material to form the body of a cloisonn work. Craftsmen first choose pieces of copper of exactly the same thickness and then cut and hammer the pieces into molds for different utensils such as vases, jars, bowls, and plates. This fr
11、aming step is the work of a coppersmith. However, once the body is shaped, the coppersmiths work is finished, and the cloisonn craftsmans task begins. The second step of filigree soldering can be compared to embroidery, and is probably the most challenging step of the entire process, as it requires
12、great patience and dexterity. 4With a blueprint in mind, the artisans make full use of their experience and imagination to cut and curve the copper filaments into various shapes such as flowers, birds, mountains and rivers. Sometimes, a single vase needs a 500-meter-long copper strip to form all the
13、 delicate patterns. Dipped in glue, the strips are then pasted onto the mold. Now comes the enamel ?C the colorful overcoat for the cloisonn mold. Mineral ores for the pigments are ground and mixed with water. Usually the ore containing iron will turn gray, that containing uranium will go yellow, an
14、d chromium based ores green. Craftsmen fill in the lattices with these various pigments. However, filling them only one time is just the beginning. Fired in the kiln where the temperature can reach 1,000oC, the copper filaments are welded to the mold, but the pigments contract. Artisans have to refi
15、ll and refire for three or four times before running a fine emery board over the filigrees and fillings to smooth any surface roughness. Then the color surface is polished once more with a whetstone, and finally to a glossy patina with charcoal. The temperature of the kiln must be controlled accurat
16、ely for any mistake could cause a change of color and result in a defective ware. Last but not least, 5the product needs to be gilded so that the metal parts will not get rusty. This complex manufacturing procedure finally makes the resplendent handicraft of Jingtai Blue: exquisite but with a sturdy
17、 body, well-designed inlays as well as bright colors, and bound in a glossy golden skeleton. Chinese Heritage for the World The vivid patterns and fine workmanship of Jingtai Blue has always been highly praised at home and abroad. The craft won top honors at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1904 and the P
18、anama International Fair in 1915. Jingtai Blue has also greatly influenced enamel-making in other countries. For several hundred years following the Ming Dynasty, imperially-commissioned seafaring helped to spread the technology beyond China. Even today, one can find similarities in the making of Ji
19、ngtai Blue and Japanese pottery. Nevertheless, cloisonn manufacture met its all-time low in the time of war and disorder that marred the first half of the 20th century. After the Peoples Republic of China was established in 1949, the government set about protecting this 6precious heritage. In 1956 t
20、he Beijing Cloisonn Factory was founded by merging 42 small workshops in the city. Nowadays, craftsmen are working hard passing this skill down to younger generations while reintroducing the artistry to the modern sensibility. With the help of more colorful pigments and sophisticated machines, artis
21、ans are creating simply gorgeous new Jingtai Blue products. In addition to traditional patterns with auspicious connotations, new designs depict a peaceful life and the harmony of nature. The most renowned artisans Zhang Tonglu, Huo Tiejun and Li Xinmin are formally recognized as State Arts and Craf
22、ts Masters by the government. Having been devoted to Jingtai Blue manufacture for nearly half century, these artisans have created a large variety of superb cloisonn works that maintain the feel of traditional art while appealing to modern tastes. Zhang Tonglu initiated “cloisonn painting,” which ma
23、kes use of the technique of Jingtai Blue but visually resembles Chinese ink and wash painting or Western oil painting. His works Friend from Afar and Great Wall Vase won gold medals at the Second and Third Chinese Arts and Crafts Fair of 2001 and 2002. Huo Tiejun often borrows the dazzling patterns
24、of ethnic minority groups and combines them with conventional designs, 7giving his works a unique appeal. Li Xinmins works cover various fields: his two-meter-tall statue of Goddess of Mercy is regarded as a national treasure; the series Beijing Impression depicts the street scenes of the capital in
25、 an abstract style; and he also used his mastery to create the figures in literature classic A Dream of Red Mansions. Besides churning out works from their studios, these masters are also busy teaching and setting up workshops to help launch the careers of student-successors. In 2006, the technique of Jingtai Blue was approved as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government. Often in recent decades, works of the craft have been presented as national gifts to foreign state leaders.
