Back ten years ago when I became interested in the dating sequence for Chinese cloisonne beads, I started collecting photos of larger items to compare designs and enamels.
The necklace I recently reconstructed [https://www.beadiste.com/2024/12/puzzling-evidence-helen-burton-miriam.html] has cloisonne beads in comparatively good shape - only a couple of scuffs - that show an identical composition to a style of millefleur bric-a-brac that seems to cluster around the 1930s. One particular canister is an example that shows an identical splashy style as in the necklace beads. I'd be awfully surprised to learn that the beads and canister did not come from the same Beijing workshop.
The red CHINA stamp on the canister is typical of Republic items from c1920-40s, so dating these cloisonne beads to the late 1930s seems reasonable.
(Click on photos below to enlarge them, or for more magnification open each in another tab.)
Hello , I have long enjoyed your blogs on cloisonné beads , a wealth of information , Thankyou . I have a question about transparent enamel being used in Cloisonne bead making . I read a description recently that stated that a lady designer / shop keeper had ordered , direct from China , beads to be made with foil under transparent enamel for the flower and leaf sections of the beads . This apparently happened in the 1950 s ??? Incredibly later that day on an auction i saw a string of black opaque background, with lovely pink and green transparent flowers , with what looks like a foil backing . I was stunned ! I hadn’t noticed such beads before ! I would love to send you images of the beads if you are interested ? Thanks again for the wonderful knowledge you share with us .
ReplyDeleteSure, send the pictures. My Gmail address is the same as the blog name.
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