The Art of Cloisonne

The art of Cloisonné was very popular (and expensive) a couple of decades ago, but it is currently out of vogue in today's interiors.

Cloisonné is the Asian art of decorating metal with vitreous enamel.  The ancient art used cut gemstones.  The artist first makes the design and outlines it in gold or silver wire strips to create compartments.  Then the compartments are filled with colored enamels and kiln fired. Today's inexpensive pieces are made out of copper instead of gold and are not as detailed as past pieces.

If you like Cloisonné, only use one or two pieces in a room sparingly.  Too much of it will date a room and make it feel old.  Put the pieces higher up in a bookcase or built in rather than at eye level rather than at eye level, center stage of your coffee table. Cloisonné is hard to place in today's homes, but if you have a vase, you can freshen it up by french mounting it and converting it to a lamp. 

The antique and really good stuff can be purchased at absolute steals in auctions and estate sales these days.  So hold on to your grandma's old pieces. Give it another decade and they will be right back in.  

Comments

[Tammie Burton]

These are beautiful! My favorite is the gold, blue & green box. Thank you for sharing your expertise regarding Cloisonné.

[jlo@yahoo.com]

kind of old lady-ish stuff. No for me

[Julie Holmes]

I love cloisonne, but I make much smaller things, and usually jewelry. I've always wondered if custom doorbell surrounds would be popular with today's homeowners. It would be a really fun and unique way to personalize a home.