Cloisonné refers to the work of drawing a pattern with metal wire on a metal tire, and then repeatedly filling it with enamel glaze and polishing it. This process, also known as filigree enamel, was introduced to China from Byzantium through the Islamic region in the Yuan Dynasty. Connoisseurs of the seventeenth century claimed that the filigree enamel fired during the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty was the most worthy of collection, and this process was commonly known as "cloisonné". However, the filigree enamel made during the Jingtai period has been almost lost. During Qianlong's reign, he tried to collect filigree enamel made during the Ming Jingtai period. However, he is more keen on research and development than the unreachable Jingtai device. As a result, the Qianlong period developed a variety of new styles that had never been seen before, creating the most abundant and diverse situation of filigree enamel.
The surging news learned that recently, the "Enigmatic Cloisonné" special exhibition was exhibited in the southern courtyard of the National Palace in Taipei, and the exhibition presented more than 100 pieces of enamel masterpieces from the Ming Jingtai to the Qianlong Qing Dynasty, showing the style of "cloisonné" in different periods.
Jingtai Mythology: The legendary enamel masterpiece
"Jingtai" is the era name of Emperor Ming (reigned 1449-1457), which lasted only seven years. In the seventh year of Jingtai (1456), the connoisseur Wang Zuo (who was active in the first half of the fifteenth century) called the filigree enamelware made by the Inner House delicate and lovely, and the antique dealers of the seventeenth century regarded it as a rare treasure alongside Xuande furnace, Chenghua porcelain, and Yongle lacquerware. This statement triggered the wind of counterfeiting by craftsmen, resulting in many Jingtai counterfeit filigree enamelware. Fortunately, on the basis of continuous academic research in later generations, the present person has been able to unveil the mystery of Cloisonné enamel.
Contemporaneous firing of filigree enamelware often used the popular motif decoration at the time; the enamel glaze color and filigree technique also presented similar details due to the similar degree of technological development or the similarity of raw materials used. The viewer grasps the secret of identification, and it is not difficult to find that the "Jingtai model" filigree enamelware is actually diverse, and it is made in different eras.
The filigree enamel bottle (Jingtai model) and the filigree enamel passion lotus pattern wash (Jingtai model) are exhibited this time.
14th century filigree enamel bottle (Jingtai model)
This vessel is imitated from a bronze vessel, and the bottom is cast with the rectangular box of the "Daming Jingtai Nian System" Yang Wenkai. The "Jingtai model" of filigree enamelware is often added later, which is not enough to be believed. The enamel glaze and shape of this work are similar to those of a collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts in France, which is believed to have been made in the Early Yuan or Ming Dynasties. Early filigree enamel was often imitated in the shape of bronze because of religious offerings, and late Ming craftsmen preferred to use the filigree enamel vessel that resembled a bronze vessel as a vase. According to this, this work may be the "yao-shaped bottle" in the five offerings of the "furnace, bottle, and candlestick" of the Yuan and Ming sacrifices.
15th century filigree enamel lotus pattern washing (Jingtai model)
Around the Xuande period (1426-1435), filigree enamel was popular for decoration with rounded flowers and continuous tangled branches of double hook branches. The enamel glazes of this period, except for the dark green glaze that is transparent, are mostly opaque glazes. The surface of the enamel glaze of this work is more worn and peeled off, and the color is slightly dull, but its style is in line with the characteristics of the first half of the fifteenth century. Accessories such as animal claws and beasts at the edge of the circle foot and mouth, as well as the inscription "Daming Jingtai Year System" in the vessel, were added after the seventeenth century.
15th century filigree enamel passion lotus pattern box (Jingtai model)
This "Filigree Enamel Ringing Box" is the most likely filigree enamelware in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei to be actually made during the Jingtai period. In China, the lotus has always been a decorative pattern used by Buddhism, and this box uses "lotus" or "tangled branches" as the design concept of the shape and pattern of the vessel, and the box originally contained a string of wooden beads, which shows the relevance to Buddhism.
In the seventeenth century, the antique market was bustling with trade, and various filigree enamelware with the name of "Jingtai" hanging high appeared like mushrooms. Although this batch of Cloisonné filigree enamelware is not "genuine", it faithfully reflects the late Ming Dynasty antique trend, people are full of mysterious "Jingtai enamel" full of imagination.
Seventeenth century modification Filigree enamel passion lotus pattern pot zun (Jingtai model)
The "Hu Zun" was made during the Kangxi Dynasty (1662-1722) and the reorganization of old utensils for the purpose of "Jingtai Enamel". The enamel glaze tone of each layer of this vessel is also different, because each part of it was produced in a different period. The remaining filigree enamel in the abdomen indicates that the part may have been a vessel such as a bowl or wash, but was spliced here.
Second half of the seventeenth century Filigree enamel passion lotus pattern bottle
A distant beast is attached to the vessel, and the bottom of the vessel is inscribed with a Vajra pestle pattern related to Buddhism, deepening its possibility of becoming a sacrificial vessel. In seventeenth-century paintings, bottles also decorated with beasts were depicted, indicating that such artifacts were once popular.
Enjoying the cultural relics collected in the palace is the spiritual sustenance of Qianlong's daily pleasures, who love the elegance of vassalage. He often ordered the craftsmen of the Ministry of internal affairs to equip the cultural relics with wooden seats, wooden covers, and carve grades of the appraisal, or to imitate antiques and make filigree enamelware. For example, the filigree enamel enamel three-legged furnace in the exhibition, the color of this work reflects the characteristics of the early Yuan or Ming dynasty products, and the quality of the filigree or enamel glaze firing is rare to see, which can be called a fine product, but the Qianlong Emperor carved the golden book "B" under the prepared rosewood seat. It is not expensive for this vessel, or because the ornament has nothing to do with bronze, or because there is no "Jingtai model".
Fourteenth century filigree enamel three-legged furnace
Qianlong New Sample: The Court's Filigree Enamel Cultural Creation
The silk enamelware passed down from generation to generation is based on the qianlong period. This is not only due to the historical background of the empire's wealth and strength, but more importantly, Qianlong was very confident, and made a colorful and gold-plated filigree enamelware made by the office, which was comparable to earlier works. The filigree enamelware made during the Qianlong period even replaced the Jingtai style vessel and became a fine collection of Duobaoge, Baishi pieces, and the left and right houses of the Duanning Hall. In his lifetime, although Qianlong failed to solve the mystery of cloisonné, he put forward another insight and reshaped the style of cloisonné.
The concept of "Duobaoge" in the Qing Palace originated from the tradition of ming dynasty literati to enjoy antiquities. Those who fill the room space as the display unit are called "cabinets" or "grids"; treasure boxes made of cabinets, boxes or boxes are called "hundred pieces". Qianlong often takes pleasure in changing the boxes and antiques in the box. In addition, he also selected filigree enamelware and stored them in the left and right houses of the Qianqing Palace Duanjing Hall.
Although Qianlong did not leave a text to explain his view of the collection of filigree enamelware, but the situation of selecting and storing things revealed his preferences and standards. Under the guidance of Qianlong, the court workshop consciously referred to the bronze atlas to carry out "antique" to create a filigree enamelware that was both gorgeous and elegant. These works show that Qianlong is particularly fond of selecting ancient bronzes shaped by animals and exaggerated animal face patterns for imitation.
The filigree enamel animal pattern beans, filigree enamel lion zun, filigree enamel zun, filigree enamel double sheep zun and so on.
Qing Qianlong Filigree enamel animal pattern beans
The design inspiration for the filigree enamel animal pattern bean, the shape and ornamental pattern, comes from the "Zhou Hundred Beast Bean" contained in volume 29 of the Western Qing Ancient Classics. A change in the "Western Qing Dynasty Ancient Classic" "Zhou Bai Beast Bean" staggered composition, in the same width interval, layered arrangement of the original animal pattern on the instrument table, so that the overall visual effect is not as vivid as the "Zhou Hundred Beast Bean" or its depiction object "inlaid red copper hunting pattern bean", but because of the unified proportion and the neat list of objects, it brings the viewer a sense of formatting. It is an excellent example of the Creation of the Inner House Enamel with reference to the atlas during the Qianlong Period.
Qing Qianlong Filigree enamel lion zun
The lion camel is dignified, the lion's head looks to the left, and the facial features and tail mane are engraved. The shape of the "Lion Zun" comes from the imagination of bronzes in the late atlas. The statue is decorated with filigree enamel lotus pattern and banana leaf pattern, the lion is made lapis lazuli blue, the back neck is a row of ruyi cloud head pattern, the four feet are decorated with flame patterns, the lion is decorated with lake blue filigree enamel wing pattern, and the neck has the "Qianlong Year" yin engraving.
Qing Qianlong Filigree Enamel Zun
The shape of the filigree enamel statue is imitated from the bronze statue. According to the Xuanhe Bogutu, the Statue of The Emperor is not in the six statues of the Zhou Guan, and is not a temple sacrifice vessel, "used between feasts and drinks." Because of the water nature, it is still calm and elegant in the water, like a gentleman drinking as a courtesy; taking this meaning, the poet praises Taiping with the song, and also makes the "ring of feasting and drinking". This device delicately outlines the wings of the glaze with filigree, blue, green, yellow and other colors, showing a soft and calm tone, a posture of the head held high, vivid and realistic. Opening your mouth may have been practical.
Qing Qianlong Filigree enamel double sheep zun
This piece of the only "Filigree Enamel Double Sheep Zun" is the bronze shape of the late Ming imitation Shang and Zhou Period painted by the Qianlong court craftsmen with reference to the map, and adjusted and designed. The brilliant colors come from the ingenious creativity of the craftsmen; the long-standing historical sources reflect the Qianlong Emperor's mentality of advocating retro.
Replacing various easily damaged media with filigree enamel, producing court furnishings and religious utensils, and decorating them with uniform patterns were unique to the Qianlong period. The filigree enamelware that spread throughout every corner of court life created a new lifestyle fashion that was unique.
The painting enamel depicting Western landscapes or figures was combined with filigree enamel and fired into cups, plates, cups, pots, etc. used for feasting, which was the first of its kind in the Qianlong period. These artifacts, which combine Eastern and Western styles, can be said to be a masterpiece formed under the cultural interaction of the traditional Han people, European missionaries, and Manchu and Mongolian nomads.
Such an exhibition of porcelain tire painting enamel painted Western character landscape goblet, filigree inlay painting enamel domu pot and so on.
1753-1754 Porcelain tire painting enamel painting Western character landscape goblet pair
Porcelain tire painting enamel painting Western character landscape goblet, two spherical porcelain jar composition opposite, ball jar upper and lower, respectively, inlaid copper tire filigree enamel neck, foot, with lid. On the copper tire at the bottom of one of them, there is a "HENRY 28" print; the other is printed "FRANCE". On the auction market, there have been works of the same style, which have a porcelain tire with the logo of the French Vincennes kiln from 1753 to 1754 and the "P. Roche" section. The two pieces of goblets are exhibited in the style of Vinson porcelain of the same period, and the similarities include: delicate brushstrokes depicting people, landscapes or flowers; the use of light and light monochrome paintings on the back of the scene to create the compositional habits of the space; and ornate gold colored trims, which can be known as works produced in the same period. The Qing Palace Western style filigree enamel inlaid painting enamel, often depicting Western ladies, landscapes and flowers and birds, may be influenced by the same type of works.
Qing Qianlong Golden tire filigree enamel inlaid painting enamel flower and bird cup plate
This set of cups and plates is made of two techniques: filigree enamel and painting enamel. The cup is gilded with cloud ears, the circle foot is filigree and tangled with branches, and the inside of the vessel is glazed with lake blue transparent glaze. Most of the cups and plates with the same shape in the Qing Palace are made of inlaid enamel, and this group of cups and plates is extremely precious. In the thirty-third year of Qianlong (1768), the "Living Record" recorded that the enamel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was used to burn golden tires "filigree enamel plus Western enamel cups, plates, and pots", and its finished products should be similar to the selected works.
Qing Qianlong Filigree inlay painting enamel domu pot
The prototype is a mixture of the Mongolian Dongbu pot, the monk's hat pot, and the Tibetan long-barreled wooden teapot (called mdong-mo in Tibetan, translated as Dongmo or Domu), with a Tibetan teapot. Since the interior is only a long barrel of tea filling space, it does not have the function of stirring and beating tea. It combines the enamel technique of Western painting with the characteristic shape of Mongolian and Tibetan characteristics, and is a unique innovative design of the Qianlong period.
It is reported that the exhibition will last until April 14, 2024.
(This article is compiled from the official website of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.) ）