In order to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, a cloisonné enamel exhibition opened in Beijing on July 17th. More than 90 contemporary art pieces are on display. The exhibition will run until Aug 12nd.
The exhibition is held in the NICE Gallery. It is organized by the Network of International Cultural Exchange Gallery, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Culture; the Sino-Foreign Enamel Gallery and the Beijing Enamel Factory.
The exhibition showcases the process of making cloisonné enamel and how this technique came to China from Europe via West Asia as a material proof of cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road. The exhibition shows the innovation of the contemporary handcrafts through different aspects, such as history and culture, material, works, foreign trade commodities, creative products, and book publishing.
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. By the 14th century this enamel technique had spread to China, where it was soon used for much larger vessels such as bowls and vases. During the year of Jingtai in the Ming Dynasty, the production techniques reached to the peak.