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Cloisonné is a famous traditional enamelware with a
history of over 500 years. Cloisonné is one of the famous arts and
crafts of Beijing. The making of cloisonné requires rather
elaborate and complicated processes: base-hammering, copper-strip
inlay, soldering, enamel-filling, enamel-firing, polishing and
gilding. Base-hammering of body is the first step in the making of
cloisonné. The material used for making the body is copper, because
copper is easily hammered and stretched. This step requires a sound
judgment in the shaping and uniformity of thickness and weight. It
is in fact the work of the copper-smith. The only difference is that
when an article is shaped, the copper-smith's work is finished,
whereas the cloisonné craftsman's work has just begun. The second
step is filigree
soldering. This step requires great care and high creativeness. The
artisan adheres copper strips onto the body. These strips are of
1/16 inch in diameter and of lengths as the artisan desires. The
strips of filigree thus adhered make up a complicated but complete
pattern. The artisan has a blueprint in mind and he can make full
use of his experience, imagination and aesthetic view in setting the
copper strips on the body. The third step is to apply color which is
known as enamel filling. The color or enamel is like the glaze on
ceramics. It is called falang. Its basic elements are boric acid,
saltpeter and alkaline. Owing to the difference in the minerals
added, the color differs accordingly. Usually one with much iron
will turn gray, with uranium, yellow, with chromium, green, with
zinc, white, with bronze, blue, with gold or iodine, red. The colors
are ground into minute powder and applied in the cells separated by
filigree. The fourth step is enamel firing. This is done by putting
the article, with its enamel filling, into a kiln. After a short
moment, the copper body will 
turn red. But after firing, the enamel in the little compartments
will sink down a bit. That will require a re-filling. This process
will go on repeatedly until the little cells are filled. The fifth
step is polishing. The first polish is with emery. Its aim is to
make the filigree and the filled compartments even. The whole piece
is again put to fire, then polished once more with a whet-stone.
Finally, a piece of hard carbon is used to polish again so as to
obtain some luster on the surface of the article. The sixth step is
gilding. This is done by placing the article in fluid of gold or
silver, changed with electric current. The exposed parts of the
filigree and the metal fringes of the article will again undergo
another electroplating and a slight polish. |
