The Art of Japanese Cloisonné Enamel

This book provides a detailed history of Japanese cloisonné enamel and the development of its many technical varieties. Part One presents the 400-year history and context of Japanese enamels from their beginnings around 1600, covering the crucial decades of the late 19th and early 20th centuries extensively. Part Two is organized by individual technique and categorizes and discusses the many variations of cloisonné enamel developed in Japan. Integrated into both parts are biographies of many cloisonné masters along with discussions of the technical and scientific underpinnings of the craft. The work is complemented by 32 color plates with 128 images, an extensive glossary, several appendices, an extensive bibliography and a full index.

Fredric T. Schneider is on the board of directors of the Japanese Art Society of America, Inc., and has lectured on Japanese art in America, Asia and Europe. He holds BA and JD degrees from Yale University, and lives in New York City.

Fredric T. Schneider

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 372
Bibliographic Info: 509 photos (128 in color), glossary, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015 [2010]
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6276-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2324-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword by Joe Earle      1
Preface      3
Introduction      5
Summary of the Cloisonné and Champlevé Manufacturing Processes      11

PART I. HISTORY      13
1. Early Enameling History      15
2. The Post–1830 Japanese Cloisonné Tradition      22
3. Technical and Stylistic Refinement, 1880 to 1915      44
4. Expanding Horizons, 1915 to Present      65

PART II. TECHNIQUES OF JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ-ENAMELING      75
5. Standard Cloisonné—Y¨sen ShippÉ, Studio to Sale Room      77
6. Enamel Developments in Standard Cloisonné      116
7. Wire Developments in Standard Cloisonné      126
8. Two Styles of Standard Cloisonné: Wire and Enamel Emphasizing      133
9. Wireless Cloisonné—Musen ShippÉ      145

Between pages 158 and 159 are 32 color plates containing 128 images

10. Transparent Enamels      159
11. Silverwork with Subsidiary Enameling      180
12. Light-Penetrating Pieces      195
13. Protuberant Enameling      201
14. Miscellaneous Enamels      212
15. Cloisonné on Non-Metal Substrates      219

PART III. MARKS AND SIGNATURES      235
16. Marks, Signatures, and Their Limitations      237
17. Illustrations of 290 Marks and Signatures Found on
Japanese Cloisonné Enamels      241

Appendix A. Glossary of Cloisonné Enamel-ShippÉ Terms      263
Appendix B. Medals Reportedly Won by Selected Japanese Cloisonné-Enamelers at International Exhibitions During the Meiji (1868–1912) and Taisho (1912–1926) Eras      270
Appendix C. Expositions Mentioned in the Text at Which
Enamels Were Exhibited      273
Chapter Notes      275
Bibliography      305
Index      315

• “The author has left no stone unturned. We thoroughly enjoyed and recommend”—Glass on Metal
• “Comprehensive”—Maine Antique Digest