24. A kaleidoscope of butterflies
/Once it was possible to have large areas of background colour without ‘strength wiring’ the design possibilities opened up. Butterflies […]
Read more23. Ginbari Phoenix and Dragon
/This next vase takes the familiar Phoenix (Houou Bird) and Dragon theme but implements it on a Ginbari vase. The […]
Read more22. Hidden Skills
/This next vase is full of skilful designs beautifully executed, but they are easily overlooked unless the lighting is bright […]
Read more21. More blue beauties
/These are a lovely pair of vases on blue ground which seem to be both early and mature. That is, […]
Read more20. Koro charm
/The next object is a lovely little kouro 香炉 (こうろ) incense burner. It comes complete with lid, which most have […]
Read more19. Jewel of a jug
/Most posts so far have been about vases and jars, but cloisonne was used as a decoration on a wide […]
Read more18. Beautiful butterflies
/In earlier posts we looked at many examples of butterfly decoration. Often the designs were really simple and yet the […]
Read more17. The beauty of blue
/Many of the earlier vases we have looked at used small areas of blue to brighten up a background of […]
Read more16. A familiar phoenix
/This is another more modern ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ vase, and one where the Houou Bird will be of great interest. […]
Read more15. A professional production
/This next vase continues with the “phoenix and dragon” strand. It has a more modern feel than anything we have […]
Read more14. Birds and dragons
/Although we encountered a Houou Bird in earlier discussions, this next vase is the first that is firmly in the […]
Read more13. Small mystery
/This tiny, elegant vase contains several puzzles. It is full of interesting design details, and minutely worked patterns. In many […]
Read more12. A pretty pair
/Many of the vases we have been looking at would have been made as a pair. This pair of ribbed […]
Read more11. So very similar
/The last vase we looked at was very distinctive, so it was easy to see that this next vase came […]
Read more10. Room to fill
/Compared to previous objects we have looked at this is large vase (30cm tall). It is full of delicate wirework, […]
Read more9. Hidden details
/If you saw the next vase on a shelf in a British house it probably would not catch your eye. […]
Read more8. Simple but elegant
/Our next object is a small, elegant vase. It uses a range of simple elements to create a stylish look […]
Read more7. First sight of the Houou Bird 鳳凰
/Our next vase is the first to introduce decoration with the mythological Houou Bird. This is written many ways in […]
Read more6. Japanese or Chinese Cloisonne?
/The Chinese have also been making fine cloisonne for many centuries. As a result it can at times be difficult […]
Read more5. Fancy fans
/This is a stylish vase, certainly of a higher quality that those we have seen before. The decoration uses fan […]
Read more4. Simple pairs
/Staying for the moment with very basic designs, this pair of small vases does not attempt any great stylish improvements. […]
Read more3. Small improvements
/This is a tiny vase, and you can imagine thousands of them being produced in the workshops of Kyoto or […]
Read more2. Brown and blue and green
/The second object is a small vase with dense decoration and vibrant colours. There are six panels, three sparkling blue […]
Read more1. When cloisonne was brown.
/ | Leave a CommentSearch the web for images of “Japanese Cloisonne” (七宝) and you will find a host of marvellous images. You will […]
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