Techniques · Technique
掐丝珐琅 qiāsī fàláng
Cloisonné enamelling
Cloisonné enamelling bends and fixes metal wires into cells, fills them with coloured enamel, fires the surface repeatedly, then grinds and finishes it.
The cells are structural evidence of the technique, not just outlines in a pattern. Enamel shrinks as it fires, so workshops refill and refire before polishing the surface level with the wire.
Photographs should include raking light, an edge, the base and a scale. Those views help separate process clues from decorative resemblance.
Related records
Sources and further reading
- Chinese Cloisonné, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Wire cells, glass paste, repeated firing, polishing and gilding