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This is the abbreviated start of an article in a distinguished Asian art periodical I've been reading for decades. I'm not suggesting anyone else run out to subscribe, but serious collectors might find even this shortened version thought-provoking, as did I.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Link :RETHNKING EARLY CHINESE CLOISONNE

Interesting article. It briefly mentions a second phase of the development of decoration with vitreous enamels that began around the late 17th century, influenced by Europe. I've read some articles that European cobalt blue glass (smalt) was exported to China (and possibly also to Japan) over a period of a few decades, ending around the mid-18th century. This European cobalt came from mines in the German State of Saxony; the ore was refined to make zaffre (crude cobalt) and smalt (refined cobalt glass) near Meissen. Apparently, this European source could be demonstrated by a difference in the chemical fingerprints between Asian cobalt (manganese rich and arsenic poor) and Saxon cobalt (manganese poor and arsenic rich). It turns out that arsenic also acts as an opacifier and color enhancer; perhaps this is why it was preferred over native Asian cobalt. This arsenic-containing (presumably European) cobalt has been found in enamels used in the imperial workshops and as well as in Guangdong (e.g., Canton), and even in some Yixing wares with with the so-called 'robbin's egg blue' glaze, which is essentially a low temperature vitreous enamel.

Here's a link to an art magazine article regarding Chinese 18th century imports of European blue cobalt pigments, probably sent in the form of a glass called smalt. The article only mentions this in the context of porcelain decoration, but such pigment likely also could be used in the finer cloisonne made in China at the same time. I'd speculate these cobalt imports were brokered by the Jesuit missionaries who acted as advisors to the Imperial Palace at that time, including Italian Giuseppe Castiglione, an accomplished artist himself, who signed his Qianlong-era paintings with the Chinese name Lang Shining.

Best regards,

Bill H.

URL Title :Chinese Blue Pigment imports 18th C

Bill: Thanks for the link. The Jesuits appear to have been responsible for transmitting a lot of European technology to China. Also, it's interesting that you mention a Jesuit painter in China, because analysis of the blue pigments used in paintings showed the presence of cobalt (as smalt) as well as lapus lazuli.

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