Two old Japanese cloisonne pieces with beautiful flower designs. Cloisonné (French pronunciation: [klwazÉ”ne]) is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, and incrustations of carved gemstones, glass and other materials were also used during the earliest periods. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (French cloisons to the metal object by welding or fixing silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different enamel compartments or inlays, which are often of various colors. The cloisonné enamel objects are worked with enamel powder made in a paste, which must then be baked in an oven.In ancient times, the cloisonné technique was used mainly for jewelry and small accessories for clothing, weapons or similar small objects decorated with geometric or schematic designs, with thick walls of cloisonné. In the Byzantine Empire, techniques were developed that use thinner wires to allow more pictorial images to be produced, mainly used for religious images and jewelry, and by then always using enamel. In the fourteenth century, this enamel technique had spread to China, where it was soon used for much larger vessels, such as bowls and vases; technique is still common in China to the present, and cloisonne enamel objects using styles derived from China were produced in the West from the 18th century. Measure small piece 1 1/4 in h.. measure larger piece 3 1/4 in h.