Cloisonné
Cloisonné is an enameling technique in which thin metal strips or wires are bent to outline a design and fixed to a metal base, forming cells that are filled with powdered enamel and fired. The name comes from the French cloison, a cell or partition.
Marian Slepian, wall hanging “Opera Il Trovatore”
What is cloisonné enamel?
Originally cloisonné was a device used to separate or define areas of color. The design is outlined by bending thin strips of metal or wire, which are then soldered or fused into an enamel ground coat. This creates cells, or partitions, which are filled with pulverized enamel, often a single color for each cell, and fired in several layers. The enamel is then ground level and polished by hand for a sheen, or re-fired until the enamel has glossed over to a brilliance.
History of cloisonné
Cloisonné has an ancient history, with a technique that has not changed over the millennia. It is believed to have been in practice in Mesopotamia at the end of the third millennium BC, and it is certainly evident on rings from Cyprus dating back to the 13th century BC. The technique travelled to China, where it flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties (mid-14th century AD onwards), and reached a high artistic point of exquisite delicacy in Japan in the 19th century.
How cloisonné is made
- Thin metal strips or wires are bent to follow the outline of the design.
- The wires are soldered or fused into an enamel ground coat on the metal base, forming cells.
- Each cell is filled with pulverized enamel, usually one color per cell.
- The piece is fired in several layers.
- The surface is ground level and hand-polished, or re-fired to a brilliant gloss.
Key facts
- Name: French cloison, a cell or partition.
- Earliest evidence: Mesopotamia, late third millennium BC; Cyprus, 13th century BC.
- High points: Ming and Qing China; 19th-century Japan.
- Traditional materials: opaque colors over brass or bronze in China and Japan.
- Best suited to: objects made of gold, such as jewelry.
- Opposite technique: champlevé, where the cells are cut into the metal instead of built up on it.
Supplies for cloisonné
Start with a base from our copper shapes and blanks, then choose colors from our vitreous enamels by brand and type.