Beautiful and antique, Chinese Cloisonné Quail , ca. 1912

Beautiful and antique, Chinese Cloisonné Quail , ca. 1912

Size: 6.35 cm H x 10.16 cm W x 5.72 cm D

A pair of early 20th century Republic period cloisonné quail, modelled life-size in the traditional manner and having blue, black and white enamels with brass beaks and feet.

Cloisonné is the technique of creating designs on metal vessels with colored-glass paste placed within enclosures made of copper or bronze wires, which have been bent or hammered into the desired pattern. Known as cloisons (French for “partitions”), the enclosures generally are either pasted or soldered onto the metal body. The glass paste, or enamel, is colored with metallic oxide and painted into the contained areas of the design. The vessel is usually fired at a relatively low temperature, about 800°C. Enamels commonly shrink after firing, and the process is repeated several times to fill in the designs. Once this process is complete, the surface of the vessel is rubbed until the edges of the cloisons are visible. They are then gilded, often on the edges, in the interior, and on the base.