Cloisonn é vase during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty

Cloisonn é vase during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty

This is a Qing Dynasty cloisonn é vase, now collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. Cloisonn é technology was introduced to China from Byzantium (now Istanbul) between 1200 and 1400 AD, but Chinese craftsmen endowed it with unique Chinese characteristics. During the reigns of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) and Emperor Qianlong (1736-95) of the Qing Dynasty, the craft of cloisonn é was perfected and reached its artistic peak. At the bottom of the vase, there is a delicate moire band. Each moire is like Ruyi's head, and there is a narrow lotus curl.