Chinese cloisonné vase used as an electric lamp at Cragside, Northumberland. ©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel
Courtney Barnes at Style Court has recently posted on Chinese cloisonné enamel, showing some beautiful examples from Brooklyn Museum.
Chinese cloisonné vase at Kingston Lacy, Dorset. ©National Trust
Inspired by this I thought I would feature a few items of cloisonné from National Trust collections.
Cloisonné cachepot at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire. ©National Trust
Cloisonné seems to have been particularly popular in the west towards the end on the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century.
Top surface of a Chinese cloisonné chest at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire. ©NTPL/John Hammond
Originally cloisonné objects would have added to the rich tapestry of colours in late Victorian and Edwardian rooms. Interestingly, Courtney quotes contemporary interior designer Capella Kincheloe who uses cloisonné in almost the opposite way, by adding it to rooms with little colour, for contrast.
December 10, 2010 at 19:43 |
Emile, such gorgeous examples you found and that is a striking contrast — using the densely patterned objects in a largely neutral room versus Edwardian-era layering. Thanks for planting that seed in my mind!
December 11, 2010 at 17:04 |
And of course both approaches are equally valid.