CLOISONN

in the decorative arts, an enameling technique or any product of that technique, which consists of soldering to a metal surface delicate metal strips bent to the outline of a design and filling the resulting cellular spaces, called cloisons (French: partitions, or compartments), with vitreous enamel paste. The object then is fired, ground smooth, and polished. Sometimes metal wire is used in place of the usual gold, brass, silver, or copper strips. Among the earliest examples of cloisonn are six Mycenaean rings of the 13th century BC. The great Western period of cloisonn enameling was from the 10th to the 12th century, especially in the Byzantine Empire. In China cloisonn was widely produced during the Ming (13681644) and Ch'ing (16441911/12) dynasties. In Japan, it was especially popular during the Tokugawa (16031868) and Meiji (18681912) periods.