Page 15 - Bonhams Ming and Qing Cloisonne Hong Kong December 2, 2021

Fig.1

nianzhi’ mark in a vertical two-line regular script. The overall the Jiajing emperor’s aesthetics. The decoration on the present
form is elegant and beautiful, well preserved with bright colours ewer is exactly the same as on the related cloisonné enamel
and bright gold. jar in the Palace Museum, Beijing, which dynamically shows
the scene of flying cranes. The colour of the enamel is bright,
Cloisonné enamel in the Jiajing reign was a period of change: and the pitting has been reduced, indicating that the control
in terms of shape, patterns, colours, and style, there were big of the glass paste inlay and the firing temperature has been
differences from wares manufactured in the early Ming dynasty. improved. The only remarkable explanation for this evolution of
Before the Jiajing reign, the main type of cloisonné enamel objects cloisonné enamel in the Jiajing reign is that it was influenced by
produced were incense burners and vases. In the Jiajing period the emperor’s belief in Daoism, forcing the craftsmen to change
however, new shapes such as ewers, bowls, and octagonal the previous production mode to cater to the emperor’s needs.
boxes emerged. The wire inlay was bold and uninhibited; the The luminous cloisonné enamel bowl with figures offered in this
enamel was devitrified, and the yellow enamel tone changed auction are also Jiajing-style cloisonné enamel (Lot 18)
from the bright yellow of the early Ming dynasty to a paler ‘lemon
yellow’. Furthermore, the red enamel changed from chicken- The Palace Museum in Beijing has 15 pieces of Wanli ‘mark
blood red to bright red or scarlet. The decorative patterns of and period’ cloisonné enamel, comprising: three dishes,
Jiajing pieces are dominated by Daoist themes such as cranes, three incense burners, three boxes, two candlesticks (fig.5),
longevity characters, and Immortals. Finally, the calligraphic and four luduan (fig.6). In the National Palace Museum,
style of the Jiajing marks is bold and vigorous (fig.4), which is Taipei, there is only one cloisonné enamel piece that is
consistent with the marks found on lacquer and porcelain from Wanli ‘mark and period’, namely a double-dragon-pattern
the same period. The changes in the wire inlay and patterns on chrysanthemum-petal dish (48cm diam.). A circular box
3
Jiajing pieces were due to the influence of the Jiajing emperor’s with a Shou character is in the Uldry collection in Switzerland
pious belief in Daoism. To best present the auspicious motifs (10.5cm diam.) ; and two boxes are in private Hong Kong
4
related to Daoism, the techniques of wire inlay had to adapt to collections, namely a hexagonal box with a chrysanthemum

COLOUR / IMPACT: CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL IN THE MING AND EARLY QING DYNASTY | 13