Cloisonne: Chinese Enamels from the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The technique of applying brilliant enamel ornament to metalwork known as cloisonne reached its peak in China beginning in the fourteenth century. This sumptuously illustrated survey, which accompanies an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center, in collaboration with Les Arts Decoratifs, Paris, publishes here for the first time research recently undertaken in China and France that has resulted in the redating of a number of objects, with significant implications for the overview of Chinese cloisonne production. Shapes, decorative patterns, function, and symbolism on cloisonne enamels are examined and explored in detail by experts in the field. The final section of the book reviews the impact of developments in China on later production in Europe, as well as the acquisition of cloisonne pieces by the major American museums and private collectors at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Beatrice Quette is head of adult education at Les Arts Decoratifs, Paris.