How Is Cloisonne Made?
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The Base
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The metal for the base is hammered. It can be copper, gold, silver, steel or brass. Porcelain is used on occasion. The base is the form for the final shape of the design object.
Design is Drawn
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The base of the piece is formed from metal or porcelain. The metal can be copper, gold, silver, steel or brass.
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The Design
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The design plan is drawn on paper. It is then copied onto the surface of the base. Alternatively the design plan can be drawn directly on the base.
Tweezers or small pliers are used to shape the wire to match the design that has been drawn. The wire can be shaped in sections and fitted together, depending on the size of the design. The areas inside the wires are the cells or closoins.
Base Enamel
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A work area is thoroughly cleaned. A piece of dust or dirt can ruin a piece. If the base has been formed from metal, it is sealed with a thin coat of clear enamel. Then the piece is placed in a kiln, fired and removed from kiln and cooled.
Placing The Wire
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Using natural glue such as tragancath, the wires are glued along the outlines of the design on the base. Once dry the base is fired in the kiln to fuse the wire into place and burn off the glue.
Fill the Cells
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Powdered colored enamels are each mixed with water to form pastes. Transparent and semi-opaque enamel powders are used to make stained glass pieces (One type of cloisonné involves chemically removing the base with nitric acid to obtain a transparent piece.) These pastes are placed into the cells of the base, each color matching the design plan. The filled in piece is fired in the kiln and cooled. When fired, the enamel sinks. Enamel pastes are filled in on top of the first layers and fired again. This filling in is repeated until the enamel is visible above the wires.
Leveling and Polishing
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The enamel is ground down to be level with the top of the wires and polished to achieve the final luster desired.
Gilding
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The piece is gilded by electroplating or dipping into a liquid of silver or gold to cover the exposed portions of the wire. This results in a smooth finish that acts as a preventative against corrosion and adds to the appearance of the piece.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Qing Dynasty Cloisonne Dish: Photo by pschemp
