“Crimson Bloom” Cloisonne Censer with Inlaid Jade | Handmade Beijing Cloisonne Art from China | Dubai GCC Luxury Collectible

Design Concept

The rich red color and dense floral patterns on the body of the vessel resemble an everlasting flower blooming in flames, creating a powerful visual impact; it is a rare and priceless collectible with the power to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune to any home or shop.

Master Liu Yongsen

• The foremost expert in cloisonné enamel inlay in China.
• Inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of cloisonné enamel making techniques.
• An artist with over 60 years of experience, has designed and crafted 15 national gifts for the bedrooms and living rooms of King Sihanouk and Queen Sihanouk.
• Includes an eight-petal cloisonné enamel fruit and vegetable box inlaid with jade and a large lotus fountain, which have been highly praised by the leaders of the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

Manufacturing Process

1. Design patterns

   The inspiration for the creations comes from a long-term and persistent study of China traditional culture, which has led to both divergent and convergent thinking. Creation is far more complex than simply imagining.

   

2. Handmade copper billet

   Making the copper billet mold is the first step in cloisonné production; only after a certain model is formed can the next step be carried out. This step is extremely crucial, as the shape of the mold determines the overall design of the cloisonné and is directly related to the main theme being created.

   

3. Wire inlay

   The copper is forged into flat wires, which are then hand-pinched into patterns such as flowers, clouds, geometric shapes, figures, or animals. A natural adhesive made from Chinese medicine is used to attach the pinned copper wires to the copper base according to the design drawings.

   

4. Applying Enamel

   Before the applying enamel process, the copper wire frame needs to undergo firing, leveling, and wire straightening. Enameling uses glaze made from ground natural minerals. According to the colors indicated by the pattern, the glaze is repeatedly filled into the copper wire decorative frame using an enameling gun or test tube.

   

5. Calcination

   After cooling, it becomes a beautiful glaze that is fixed on the body. At this time, the glaze is lower than the height of the copper wire, so the glaze needs to be filled again. After sintering, the entire body after being enamelted is placed in a high-temperature furnace of about 800 degrees Celsius and fired with some mineral stone powder as fuel. The glaze melts from a granular solid into a liquid. This process usually takes four or five times until the glaze is filled to the same level as the cloisonné pattern.

   

6. Polishing

   The fired objects are placed in water and polished step by step with coarse sandstone, fine sandstone, yellow stone, and linden charcoal until the surface is smooth as a mirror. Finally, linden charcoal and a scraper are used to smooth and polish the copper lines, bottom lines, and rims that are not covered with blue glaze.

   

7. Gold plating

   After the cloisonné piece has been polished and smoothed, it undergoes acid washing, cleaning, and sandblasting before being placed in a gold plating bath. An electric current is then applied, causing the gold to adhere firmly to the metal parts of the cloisonné. Following washing, rinsing, and drying, a dazzling cloisonné piece emerges.