Page 255 - Chinese Art, Vol II By Stephen W. Bushell

ENAMELS, ETC. 73
Chinese enamels are divided in the heading of this chapter into
three classes.
1. Cloisonne enamels.
2. Champleve enamels.
3. Painted enamels.
Cloisonne enamels, or cell enamels, are made by soldering to the
metal foundation a narrow band or ribbon of copper, silver, or
gold, following all the intricacies of the decoration, so as to parcel
out the field into as many cells or cloisons as there arc colours to
be filled in. The cloisons map the surface about to be decorated
into a trellis-work of metal, and the craftsman proceeds to fill the
cells with the moistened enamel colours, which have been previously
ground down to a fine powder. The piece is usually fired in the
open courtyard, protected only by a primitive cover of iron network,
the charcoal fire being regulated by a number of men standing
round with large fans in their hands. Several firings are required
to fill up the cells completely and to remedy pitting of the surface,
which has next to be patiently polished with pumice stone and
thoroughly cleaned with charcoal. Finally the copper at the
foot and lips of the vase has to be gilded, as well as that of the
free edge of the metal bands which runs all over the field like a
network of threads defining the details of the decoration in coloured
enamels.
Champleve enamels, or pit enamels, are also known sometimes
"
as imbedded," in contradistinction to cloisonne enamels, which
are defined again as "incrusted." In champleve enamels the cell
walls inclosing the enamel colours are fashioned in the ground of
the bronze itself, being either modelled in the original casting,
or subsequently hollowed out with graving tools. The art of
imbedding enamels is more primitive in most parts of the world
than that of incrustation, and some of the most ancient pieces
in China certainly belong to the former class, but we have no data
to fix the exact period of its introduction. In the present day it is