A pair of filigree enamel double crane incense burners
Filigree enamel is a fine work of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, originated in the Yuan Dynasty, is one of the varieties of enamelware, generally refers to copper tire filigree enamel, in the folk is called "cloisonné". It was introduced to China by land from the Arabian Peninsula during the Yuan Dynasty, and was called the "Great Food Kiln" at that time. Ancient craftsmen on the mainland quickly mastered the production technology of the "Great Food Kiln" and combined with the traditional crafts of the mainland to finally produce this unique and strong national style of metal filigree enamel. It belongs to the low melting point of the vitreous, firing temperature of about 650 ~ 800 ° C, is made of fine flat copper wire into a pattern, welded on the copper tire shape, and then filled with colored oil, after firing, polishing, gilding. The vessels painted with enamel pigments painted on the porcelain tire become the "porcelain tire painting enamel".
Filigree enamel is well-known at home and abroad
"Porcelain tire painting enamel" is a precious variety in porcelain, its color is rich and colorful, only the blue glaze has sky blue, royal blue, transparent blue, pink blue gold and so on. There are also chicken blood red, purple red, pink, dark green, grass green, light green and yellow, white, purple and other colors. The enamel is beautiful and calm, solid and rich. Blue glaze, in particular, is purer and brighter than at any time, with a jewel-like beauty. Most of the utensils during the Cloisonné period of the Ming Dynasty were based on this blue glaze, creating a style dominated by sapphire blue during the Cloisonné period, so "cloisonné" is famous. The Ming and Qing dynasties are the most exquisite and numerous in the Jingtai and Chenghua dynasties. After the Qianlong Dynasty, due to the gradual decline of the country's power, the production of filigree enamel also began to decline, and there were not many works passed down. The shape of the filigree enamel in the late Qing Dynasty was mainly bottled, and the style varied, but the proportions were not very coordinated. Due to the use of mechanical molding, the carcass of the utensils is light and thin, and the filigree lines are smooth, but the artistic level is obviously inferior to that of the enamelware before Qianlong. During the Xianfeng and Guangxu years of the Qing Dynasty, filigree enamel began to be sold at home and abroad as a commodity. At the 1904 Chicago World's Fair and the 1905 Panama International Exposition, filigree enamel was awarded twice. As a court art, filigree enamel is a noble decorative art in the Ming and Qing dynasties, monopolized by the royal family, and there are special production institutions in the court, such as bowls and plates, there are also small bottles, cans and boxes, etc., but the number handed down is very small, so it has a very high investment collection value.
Copper tire filigree enamel high foot tribute bowl
Filigree enamel walks the auction scene
Since the beginning of the new century, filigree enamel artworks have gradually become popular in auction houses. As early as the 2002 China Trade Shengjia Autumn Auction, a "Qingqianlong Filigree Enamel Kaiguang Imperial Verse Square Pot" was auctioned for 550,000 yuan, and by the 2005 Hong Kong Christie's Spring Auction, the transaction price of this item rose to HK$1.9 million; at the 2008 China Trade Shengjia Spring Auction, a pair of extremely rare 28 cm high "Qingqianlong Filigree Enamel Domu Pots" sold at a high price of 90.72 million yuan, approaching the 100 million yuan mark; especially in December 2010, At Christie's Autumn Auction in Hong Kong, a pair of "Qing Yongzheng Imperial Filigree Enamel Double Crane Incense Burners" unexpectedly sold a "super sky-high price" of HK$129.5 million, and set a new record for the world auction of filigree enamel artworks. In the following years, the market for filigree enamel remained strong, collectors were reluctant to sell, and it was rare to see a heavy auction of filigree enamel on the auction floor. At the 2017 Hong Kong Christie's Autumn Auction, a "Qingqianlong Imperial Filigree Enamel Flower Ruyi Shoulder Phoenix Ear Three-legged Cover Furnace" was auctioned for 13.9 million yuan; at the 2018 Poly Xiamen Spring Auction, a pair of "Qingjiaqing Filigree Enamel Lotus Pond Bonsai" was sold for 6.67 million yuan. The reason why filigree enamel artworks have always remained strong is because almost all filigree enamel was dedicated to the court, and few filigree enamel literature was flown to the people, and most of these antique treasures were collected by museums at all levels, which were extremely rare in the folk, so it was highly sought after on the auction floor.
Enamel color "auspicious celebration youyu" turn heart bottle
There are tricks to distinguish between true and false
Collecting filigree enamel depends not only on the age, but also on its artistic level. The age only reflects its cultural value. Artistic value includes its shape, design, decorative pattern, whether the color is natural, whether the overall coordination and so on. In the choice of utensils, it should be headed by characters and animals; followed by stoves, bottles, and must be strangely shaped; and then bowls, plates, cups, etc. In addition, when observing the enamel glaze, historical reasons must also be considered: the enamel of the Ming Dynasty is thick, transparent, and the sand eye pit is large and numerous; the enamel of the early Qing Dynasty also has sand holes, but it is significantly better than the Ming Dynasty, and the enamel is thick but impenetrable; by the end of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the enamel is thin, but the sand eye has almost disappeared. At present, the collection of filigree enamel in the antique market is difficult to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, and the collection risk is very large. How to distinguish between true and false? The most obvious difference is to see if it has a sand eye phenomenon. If you see a piece of filigree enamel that has no sand holes but is known as the Ming and Qing dynasties, then you have to be careful, it is likely to be a modern craft imitation. A major feature of Ming and Qing devices is that there is a sand eye phenomenon on the surface of the glaze, which is the size of a needle eye. This is due to the low ancient purification technology, resulting in too high borate content in the glaze, therefore, during the firing process, impurity gasification produces small holes. In the Qianlong period, with the improvement of the process, the phenomenon of sand eye gradually decreased, after the founding of New China, with the improvement of the level of technology, the phenomenon of sand eye phenomenon can be basically eliminated.
Text/Figure Wu Weizhong
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