“The Azure Seeker”Indigo Cloisonné Vase | Handmade Beijing Cloisonne Art from China | Dubai GCC Luxury Collectible

Design Concept

The entire piece is made of a deep lake blue, like a tranquil deep sea or a vast starry sky, showcasing a cosmic view that is all-encompassing and simple in its essence.

Master Zhang Tonglu

• The Foremost Authority: Widely recognized as the leading expert in contemporary Chinese cloisonné and the only master to command the entire production process from design to technical management.  
• National Treasure: A National-Level Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage and a recipient of the State Council Special Allowance for his profound contributions to the craft.  
• Record-Breaking Value: Often called "Enamel Zhang" , his works are highly coveted by collectors, with one piece fetching a record-breaking auction price of 11 million RMB. 
• Historic Milestones: His masterpieces have won nearly 100 prestigious national and international gold awards and were the only cloisonné works selected to travel aboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft.

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.