Japanese Cloisonné: History, Methods, and Global Influence
Cloisonné, called shippō in Japanese, is a way of decorating metal using enamel that looks like glass. The process involves creating a metal frame, adding designs with thin metal strips or wires, and then filling those spaces with colored enamel. After that, the piece gets fired in a kiln, which makes the enamel hard and shiny. This technique became a big deal in Japan, especially around Nagoya in Owari Province during the late Edo period and into the Meiji era. One of the oldest and most respected producers still around today is the Ando Cloisonné Company.
In Japan, artisans developed several styles of shippō work. Yusen-shippō uses fine wires to form the patterns. Shotai-shippō focuses on making the enamel look almost see-through by removing the metal backing. Doro-shippō uses a clay-like enamel that has a more textured finish. Each method requires skill and patience. The results are always detailed and precise.
The word “cloisonné” comes from French. It means “partitioned” and refers to the way the design is separated by metal lines. This technique has been around for centuries. In older times, artists used gold strips to hold materials like gemstones or colored glass in place. Later, they started using enamel instead, which was easier to shape and more affordable. The switch to enamel also made it possible to create more detailed patterns without using expensive materials.
Making cloisonné starts with building a pattern using silver or gold wires. These wires get attached to the metal surface, creating little enclosed shapes. These outlines stay visible once the piece is finished, dividing the different colors and sections. After the outlines are in place, artisans mix enamel powder with water to form a paste. That paste is packed into each tiny space. Then, the whole thing goes into a kiln where the enamel melts and hardens. If the artist is using glass or gemstones instead of enamel, those materials need to be cut or shaped to fit inside each section before firing.
Back in ancient times, cloisonné was mostly used to decorate small items like jewelry, belt buckles, or weapon fittings. These early designs were simple, usually geometric, with thick metal outlines. The look was more about shapes than pictures. In the Byzantine Empire, artists figured out how to use thinner wires. That let them create detailed images, often of religious figures. These works were also made with enamel and mostly used in jewelry or small icons. The style carried into Europe, especially in areas like the Carolingian and Ottonian empires.
By the 1300s, European artists moved away from cloisonné and leaned toward champlevé, a similar but slightly different enamel technique. Meanwhile, cloisonné started to catch on in China. Chinese artists took the process further and began using it on larger objects like vases and bowls. That style became a signature part of Chinese decorative art. Chinese cloisonné is still widely produced today and has influenced enamel work across the world.
In the 1700s, European craftsmen started copying Chinese cloisonné techniques. They made their own versions, using similar patterns and shapes, especially for home decor and collector pieces. The designs often leaned toward what people in the West imagined as “Oriental,” mixing European and Asian elements.
There’s another use of the word “cloisonné” that pops up in Byzantine architecture. In that context, it refers to a style of building walls using both stone and brick. You’ll see this type of construction in old churches, like the Pammakaristos Church in Istanbul, built in the 11th or 12th century. In this case, the term “cloisonné” doesn’t involve enamel, but the idea is still about separating sections using visible outlines.
The Early History of Cloisonné and Enamel Techniques
Cloisonné started in the ancient Near East, mostly in jewelry. Early pieces used small compartments made with gold strips to hold enamel in place. Before enamel became common, those little spaces were filled with stones or gems. That practice goes all the way back to Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE, and later spread to ancient Egypt. Enamel was a cheaper and more flexible way to get a similar look.
The oldest surviving enamel pieces that experts agree on come from Mycenaean rings found in a tomb in Cyprus. These date to the 12th century BCE and used fine wire to create the designs. They mark one of the earliest uses of enamel as a decorative method.
In Egypt, thicker strips of gold were used to make the compartments. These were smaller, tighter sections that held either stones or a material often called glass-paste. This paste looked like enamel, but most historians believe it didn’t melt the way true enamel should. The melting points of gold and glass were probably too close to work safely with actual enamel in Egyptian workshops. Still, there may be a few real examples of enamel from Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period, which began around 1070 BCE. But even then, enamel was rare in both Egypt and ancient Greece.
The cloisonné method shows up again in the Koban culture in the Caucasus between 1200 and 350 BCE. It might have been passed along to the Celts by the Sarmatians, though most of their designs leaned toward the champlevé style instead. Over time, enamel became just one of many materials used to fill in the thick-walled compartments of Late Antique and Migration Period metalwork. In some cases, we find pieces with empty compartments that seem to have been made for enamel, but whatever was inside is now gone. This is true of objects found from ancient Egypt all the way to Anglo-Saxon England.
At Sutton Hoo in England, Anglo-Saxon metalwork from the 6th and 7th centuries CE often used red garnets in cloisonné settings. Some pieces also mixed in enamel. Others used both in one item, like the famous purse lid. Some areas may have been meant for enamel but lost their filling over time, making it harder for researchers to confirm if enamel was ever used there in the first place. After about the year 1000 CE, enamel became more common in Europe, and it’s easier to assume when it was part of a design.
In the Byzantine Empire, the cloisonné style became much more refined. Artists started using very thin wires, which allowed for more detailed enamel images, especially icons. These Byzantine enamel pieces spread across cultures. One version, often called "garnet cloisonné," shows up in art from Europe’s Migration Period. These pieces used red garnets along with enamel and glass. Thick gold walls divided each compartment. The color contrast between red garnets and gold was striking, and in Christian symbolism, garnets stood for Christ. This style likely began in the Eastern Roman Empire and was given as diplomatic gifts from places like Constantinople. Local goldsmiths in Europe started copying them.
There are also pieces from that era where artisans used glass-paste instead of real enamel, but with similar results. The technique involved soldering thick gold strips to a base and then setting stones, glass, or paste inside. In time, Byzantine artists pushed this technique further and created the thin-wire enamel style. That version didn’t work with gemstones and was only meant for enamel. It was later picked up and imitated by European artists during the Carolingian period and after.
One of the most impressive examples of early cloisonné comes from the Sutton Hoo burial site. The metal fittings from that site show detailed garnet cloisonné. Some pieces used very thin slices of garnet, allowing the gold pattern beneath to shine through. Others used imported millefiori glass, cut to fit into the same style of settings. Sometimes, one object combined different materials like stones, glass, and enamel, all placed side by side in their own compartments. That kind of detail shows just how skilled these early metalworkers were.
Byzantine Cloisonné Enamel: Evolving Techniques and Changes in Style
By the 8th century, artists in the Byzantine Empire started using much finer wire in cloisonné work. This change made it possible to create more detailed designs with fewer geometric shapes and more flowing forms. Enamel was key to this because it could fill large, complex shapes evenly. These designs still appeared mostly on small items, though sometimes many enamel plaques were added together to decorate bigger objects. One famous example is the Pala d'Oro, the altarpiece in Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice. Artists sometimes used a mix of thick and thin wire outlines to give the finished piece more depth. Gold was often left visible in the background, which resembled the look of Byzantine mosaics. The surface was usually pressed to create a shallow base, then pricked so the enamel would grip better. After that, the wires were placed to form the outlines.
There are two main enamel methods that came out of the Byzantine and Western traditions. These are still often referred to by their original German names. The first is Vollschmelz, meaning “full melt” or “full enamel.” In this method, the entire surface of a gold plate is meant to be covered. The edges of the plate are bent up to hold the enamel paste, and the metal wires are soldered down to create the compartments. Once done, enamel fills the entire surface from edge to edge.
The second method is called Senkschmelz, or “sunk melt.” In this one, the design area is hammered down into the plate instead of covering the full surface. This leaves the rest of the gold background untouched. The result looks similar to how saints and figures appear in Byzantine icons and gold glass mosaics. The wires and enamel still get added the same way. You can usually see the pressed outlines of the design on the back of the piece.
This switch from full to sunk enamel started happening in Byzantine art around the year 900 and in Western Europe around 1000, although a few earlier pieces used both styles.
A good example of the mix is found on the Holy Crown of Hungary. The enamel plaques showing the apostles were made during this transitional time. The base plates were pressed down like in Senkschmelz, but the enamel still covers almost the whole surface, except for thick borders around the figures and text, which is more in line with Vollschmelz. Some pieces from the 900s used two layers of metal. The top layer had the design cut out, while the bottom was flat. This made it look like Senkschmelz without needing to hammer the base.
In medieval Western Europe, cloisonné enamel started to fade out. It was replaced by a newer method called champlevé. Instead of building raised compartments with wires, champlevé used carved or etched recesses in the base to hold the enamel. This technique started gaining ground in the 11th century across Europe, though Byzantine artists kept using cloisonné. The Stavelot Triptych, made around 1156 in the Mosan region, shows both techniques. The inner panels, which use cloisonné, likely came from Constantinople.
Champlevé offered a few advantages. It allowed for more lifelike details, especially in faces and human forms. It was also more affordable. Most champlevé works were made with copper bases, and if gold was used, it was often limited to a thin layer or gilding on the surface. This method became more common until the 1300s and 1400s, when painted enamel took over. Painted enamel let artists apply colors directly onto flat metal without worrying about the material running during firing. Limoges, in France, became a major center for both champlevé and painted enamel during this time.
Plique-à-Jour and Cloisonné Variations: A Closer Look at Technique, Evolution, and Global Influence
Plique-à-jour is an enamel method that stands out because it leaves no backing behind the design. It’s similar to cloisonné, but instead of being supported by metal underneath, it uses clear enamel to create a look that feels like stained glass. This makes the finished piece see-through, with light passing through each colored section. To pull this off, artists start with a base made from something removable. They often use thin copper or sheets of mica. After the enamel sets, they either peel the mica off or dissolve the copper in acid. What’s left is a delicate, open piece with no solid base.
During the Renaissance, there were a few bold attempts to take this even further. Some artists placed these translucent enamel pieces onto rock crystal or glass. The result looked ornate and flashy, but this technique never gained much popularity. It was rare then and remains uncommon today.
Over time, other spin-offs of this technique appeared, but they didn’t have a major impact. In 19th-century Japan, artisans experimented with cloisonné-style decoration on pottery, layering ceramic glazes instead of enamel. Others tried filling the wire sections with lacquer or modern acrylics, rather than glass enamel. These variations had some success, but they didn’t match the quality or detail of true cloisonné.
Outside of traditional art, a simplified version of cloisonné is used today in things like lapel pins, logo badges, and car emblems. Think of brands like BMW. But in those cases, the metal base is usually cast with the design already in place. The compartments are pre-formed, not built by hand with wires. So while people call it cloisonné, it’s technically not. Craftsmen and jewelers usually refer to this method as champlevé, which is a separate and more industrial process.
Cloisonné first made its way into Russia through contact with the Byzantine Empire during the Kievan Rus period. Most of the pieces that survived are religious, often created in Kiev, which seemed to be the only real center for this kind of enamel work at the time. But the craft disappeared for a while after the Mongol invasions. It reappeared later in Novgorod by the end of the 1300s, although now the technique used was mostly champlevé rather than true cloisonné.
Cloisonné barely resurfaced in Russia until the 1800s. That’s when workshops like the House of Fabergé and Khlebnikov began reviving it. Fabergé, in particular, added a new twist. Instead of keeping the surface flat, he used raised designs with contoured shapes. These were filled more lightly with enamel, sometimes almost painted on, which left the metal edges more visible. While many people still call this cloisonné, some experts disagree. Traditional cloisonné has a smooth, even finish. Fabergé’s work doesn’t, so it straddles the line between true cloisonné and something else entirely.
To China and Beyond
The technique made its way into China sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries, possibly through trade routes connecting with Byzantium or the Islamic world. The first written mention of it appears in a 1388 book, calling it “Dashi ware,” a term that hints at Middle Eastern influence. Even though there are no known Chinese pieces from the 1300s, by the time of the Xuande Emperor in the early 1400s, Chinese artisans had already mastered it. The pieces from this period show a full Chinese style, suggesting the technique had been in use for some time.
At first, Chinese collectors didn’t care much for cloisonné. It was seen as foreign and too delicate or decorative, which made it seem like it appealed more to women. That opinion changed during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in the early 1700s, who set up a cloisonné workshop within the Imperial factories. From then on, the style grew in popularity and value. The finest Chinese cloisonné works come from the early Ming Dynasty, especially the Xuande and Jingtai reigns. These are the pieces most collectors prize today. However, most cloisonné found on the market today is from the 1800s or modern times.
There’s a theory that skilled Byzantine artists may have brought cloisonné knowledge to China after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. But the name “Dashi ware” makes it more likely that the method came from Islamic sources. Chinese cloisonné tends to feature a lot of blue enamel, which led to the term jingtailan, or “Jingtai blue ware.” This name honors both the Jingtai Emperor and the color most often used in these designs.
By the 19th century, quality started to drop. Early pieces were made with heavy bronze or brass bases. Artisans soldered wires in place to form the patterns. Later, they switched to lighter copper and glued the wires before firing. The formulas for the enamel and the color pigments also changed over time, affecting the look and durability of newer pieces.
Chinese cloisonné is sometimes mixed up with something called Canton enamel. But Canton enamel is different. It’s painted enamel on copper and has more in common with porcelain painting or enamel on glass. Artists paint these designs freehand, without using wires or partitions to keep the colors apart.
In both Byzantine and Chinese pieces, wires don’t always follow the usual rules. Sometimes they’re placed just for decoration, without separating any enamel colors. In other cases, two different colors meet without a wire dividing them. You can see this in Byzantine icons, where a wire might stop midway through a sleeve, or in the details of a saint’s eyes or clothing. Chinese cloisonné also does this, showing how flexible the technique can be even within its strict structure.
Japanese Cloisonné Enamel: Meiji-Era Craftsmanship and Its Global Recognition
Starting in the mid-1800s, Japan began producing large volumes of cloisonné enamel work. These pieces were not just impressive in quantity, but also in quality. By the time the Meiji era rolled around, Japanese artisans had taken the technique to its highest point. Between 1890 and 1910, the art form hit its peak. That period is now called the "Golden Age" of Japanese enameling. Craftsmen during this time developed technical skills and design methods that had never been seen before, anywhere in the world.
Nagoya was one of the earliest centers for cloisonné in Japan. It grew out of the Owari Domain, where local talent and support helped the art form take root. The Ando Cloisonné Company became a leader early on, and it still plays a major role in Japanese enamel today. As time passed, other cities joined in. Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo) became major hubs. Each area brought its own style and skill set to the craft.
Two names stood out more than any others. Namikawa Yasuyuki, based in Kyoto, and Namikawa Sōsuke, based in Tokyo, pushed cloisonné far beyond traditional forms. Their pieces weren’t just decorative. They were technical marvels. Both artists showed their work at major international exhibitions, including World’s Fairs, where they picked up multiple awards and helped raise Japan’s reputation in decorative arts.
In Kyoto, Namikawa Yasuyuki built one of the most respected enamel studios in the country. His work became so well-known that there’s now an entire museum dedicated to him: the Namikawa Yasuyuki Cloisonné Museum. Japanese cloisonné, known locally as shippō-yaki, gained a reputation for being unmatched in both color and detail. New breakthroughs in coloring techniques and design set these works apart from anything that came before.
Several important examples of Japanese cloisonné from this period still exist today. One of them is a censer created by Namikawa Yasuyuki, now recognized as an Important Cultural Property. Another standout is a matching pair of vases, dated between 1800 and 1894, which are now part of Emory University’s Oxford College Archives. Namikawa Yasuyuki also created a number of enamel pieces that are now seen as some of the finest ever made.
The Khalili Imperial Garniture, made during the Meiji period, is another major example. At the time, it was the largest cloisonné enamel work ever created. It was displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and became a symbol of Japan’s technical skill in enamel art.
Namikawa Sōsuke also brought something unique to the table. He worked in a method called shōtai shippō, which is a type of plique-à-jour enamel. One of his most famous works from around 1900 used translucent enamel on silver. This approach let light shine through the piece, much like stained glass.
Other standout items from this golden era include a pair of two-fold screens made between 1900 and 1905 in Nagoya, and several early 20th-century pieces by the Ando Cloisonné Company, around 1910. One more notable work is an octagon-shaped piece from the Owari region, created by Takemasa Tamura.
Japanese cloisonné from the Meiji period remains some of the most detailed and technically refined in the world. These works are not just decorative. They represent a peak in design, craftsmanship, and innovation.
How Modern Cloisonné Is Made: Tools, Process, and Popular Styles
Making modern cloisonné starts with shaping the base object. This is often done by a different craftsperson than the one applying the enamel. Copper is the metal most commonly used because it’s affordable, lightweight, and easy to work with. But gold, silver, or other metals can also be used depending on the quality or price point of the final piece.
The wire that forms the design is usually made from fine silver or gold. It's very thin, around .010 by .040 inches. These wires are bent into precise shapes using small pliers, tweezers, or special tools made just for this purpose. All the bends are made at right angles. This stops the wires from curving upward, which would mess up the surface. Often, the full design is made up of several smaller wire patterns carefully joined together.
In some older styles, like those seen in Byzantine work, the wires were soldered directly to the metal base. But soldering causes problems later. It can lead to discolored enamel and air bubbles during firing. That’s why most modern enamel artists skip soldering. Some high-end enamelers who make watch faces or luxury jewelry still use it, but it's rare.
Today, most artists first fire a thin layer of clear enamel onto the base metal. Then they glue the cloisonné wire onto this clear layer using a natural gum called gum tragacanth. Once the gum dries, the whole piece goes back into the kiln. The gum burns off clean, and the wire sticks firmly to the clear enamel base without leaving any residue.
To make the enamel itself, powdered glass is ground down using a porcelain or agate mortar and pestle. It’s then washed to remove any particles that could cause discoloration. The enamel mix comes from silica, lead oxide, and niter. Different metal oxides get added for color. This mixture is melted down into a glass-like substance called frit. Then the frit is ground again into fine powder before being applied.
Each color is mixed with a bit of diluted gum tragacanth to help it stick. Using tiny spatulas, brushes, or droppers, the artist places this colored powder into each wire section. Once the piece is dry, it's fired in a kiln. During firing, the powder melts and shrinks, similar to how sugar melts when heated. That means the process has to be repeated multiple times to fully fill each wire section. After every firing, the enamel settles lower. The artist adds more enamel, fires again, and keeps going until the enamel reaches the top edge of each wire.
There are three common surface styles for cloisonné. The first is concave, where the cloisons are only partly filled. When the enamel melts, it pulls away from the center and forms a shallow dip around the wires. This happens because of capillary action during firing.
The second is convex, where the artist overfills each section during the last round. This creates slightly domed color areas that rise above the wire lines.
The third and most common is flat. Once all the enamel is filled to the top, the surface gets ground down flat using lapidary tools, just like you’d use for polishing gemstone cabochons. The wires are polished along with the enamel until everything is flush and smooth. Some silver wires get electroplated with a thin layer of gold to prevent tarnishing.
Japanese cloisonné is displayed in museums around the world. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art all have notable collections. In Kyoto, the Namikawa Yasuyuki Cloisonné Museum is dedicated entirely to this craft. There’s also a large group of Chinese cloisonné pieces, about 150, in the G.W. Vincent Smith Art Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Khalili Collection of Japanese Meiji Art includes 107 pieces of cloisonné enamel. It features work by well-known artists like Namikawa Yasuyuki, Namikawa Sosuke, and Ando Jubei. This collection has helped researchers figure out how Japanese enamel art developed over time and which artists influenced certain styles.
Ando Cloisonné Company: Legacy of Japanese Enamel Art in Nagoya
The Ando Cloisonné Company, known in Japan as Andō Shipōyaki, is based in Sakae, right in the center of Nagoya. This area sits within the old Owari Province, which was one of Japan’s leading regions for cloisonné production. During the Edo period, the Ando family ran a tobacco pipe shop called Murata-ya. That business later gave rise to one of Japan’s most important cloisonné houses.
Ando Jubei, originally named Jusaburo, was born in 1876 as the youngest of four children. His mother died when he was still a baby, and his father passed just a few months later. He grew up in the care of the family’s shop staff, according to his father's wishes. His older sister married a man named Ando Juzaemon, who was born Matsukichi. Together, Jubei and Juzaemon turned their family’s business into a major force in cloisonné art.
In 1893, Juzaemon traveled to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It was his first trip abroad, and he used it to study the Western market. Eight years later, in 1901, Jubei made his first international trip to the Glasgow International Exhibition. He didn’t just visit. He stayed with a British family for two years to understand Western tastes and markets more deeply.
After returning to Japan, the two men brought in a master artisan named Kawade Shibatarō. He became head of the studio and helped push the boundaries of cloisonné with new work in plique-à-jour, a delicate method that resembles stained glass. Around this time, Japanese enamel art started gaining serious attention in the West. The 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle helped boost global demand. A lot of this work came from the Toshima area, which was central to the Owari cloisonné tradition.
By 1918, the Ando Cloisonné Company had around 50 artists working in-house. The company earned an Imperial Warrant of Appointment, which meant it supplied official gifts to the Japanese imperial court. One vase, gifted to Manchukuo Prime Minister Zheng Xiaoxu, received handwritten calligraphy from him praising the piece. That kind of recognition helped cement the company’s status at home and abroad.
In more recent years, the company teamed up with the Japanese watchmaker Seiko. In 2018, they collaborated to make cloisonné enamel dials for a limited-edition Presage model. That partnership brought traditional Japanese enamel work into modern design and gave it a fresh platform.
Today, Ando is one of the very few traditional cloisonné companies still active in Japan. Its main shop in Sakae includes a small museum where you can see pieces by both Ando artists and Namikawa, another famous cloisonné maker. You’ll also find Ando’s works in major collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Walters Art Museum in the United States.
The cloisonné technique used by Ando is called shipōyaki in Japanese. It involves coating a metal base in enamel and firing it until the colors set. Ando’s signature styles show just how far the art form can go.
One method is musen shippō, or wireless cloisonné. In this technique, enamel is painted directly onto the metal, and the wires are taken off before firing, giving it a smooth, seamless look. Then there’s yūsen shippō, which uses silver wire to form designs. This is the classic Owari method and one of the most recognizable.
Moriage shippō stands out by adding raised enamel that sits above the wire lines. Kawade Shibatarō was especially skilled at this, and he made pieces for the Tokyo Imperial Palace using this style. Tōtai shippō involves cutting parts of the metal body away and filling those open spaces with transparent or semi-transparent enamel, creating a stained-glass effect.
Another type, shōtai shippō, starts with the usual silver wire pattern, but after the enamel is applied, the metal gets dissolved with nitric acid. This leaves only the enamel structure behind. There’s also saiyū shippō, or tsuiki shippō, which uses hammered metal to create raised designs before applying colored enamel.
The company also works with special enamel blends like émail shippō, which combines French and Japanese glazing to protect against corrosion. Other categories focus on the base metal or enamel finish. Dōtai shippō uses copper, while gintai shippō uses sterling silver. They also craft pieces with transparent enamel, called tōmeiyū shippō, semi-transparent or translucent enamel, known as han-tōmeiyū shippō, and fully opaque enamel, called fu-tōmeiyū shippō.
Each of these techniques shows a different side of the craft, but all share the same high level of skill and attention to detail that the Ando name represents.
