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Scatoletta
China, late Ming period, 16th century
Metal and glass paste, cloisonné enamels on copper-based alloy, height 18.3 cm and 11.5 cm
Piano II;galleria II;vetrina 14
Edoardo Chiossone Collection, testamentary bequest, 1898
Small suantougping vase with stylized lotuses, chrysanthemums and leaves (right) and small meiping vase with stylized lotuses, leaves and spiral curves (left), cloisonné enamels on copper-based alloy. MC (Sm-78, Sm-77), display case 14.
Cloisonné enamel is the most common among oriental polychrome enamels. The cloisonné technique consists in executing the design on the bottom with thin metal curbs, creating frames that are then filled with coloured silicates. In China, during the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1912) periods, the workshops controlled by the imperial house created enamel works of the highest technical and artistic quality, so much so that cloisonné enamels are considered typical products of Chinese decorative arts.