Jingtailan (Cloisonné) 景泰蓝

The art of Jingtailan (Cloisonné) is a unique combination of sculpture, painting, porcelain making and copper-smithing that is said to have originated in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The oldest extant piece was made during the Yuan Dynasty, but Jingtailan underwent a major change during the Ming Dynasty when at about 1450 to 1456, a new blue pigment was discovered and gave Jingtailan its current name based on the Chinese word lan for blue. Ming Dynasty Jingtailan is also considered to be the most intricate. Nevertheless, Jingtailan reached its peak during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) due to great innovations in copper-melting techniques.
At present, Jingtailan is classified into two categories: Jingtailan and Flower-strip Jingtailan, each of which has several sub-varieties respectively.

The making of Jingtailan requires rather elaborate and complicated processes;base-hammering, copper-strip inlay, soldering, enamel-filling, enamel-firing, polishing and gilding. The products are featured by excellent quality. The skill and workmanship have been handed down from the Ming Dynasty. Since the founding of new China, quite a number of new varieties have been created. It enjoys a high reputation both at home and abroad with most of its products for export.

All the products are beautiful and elegant in molding, brilliant and dazzling in colors and splendid and graceful in design. It is a famous local handicraft in Beijing region.
Jingtailan can be found on large objects such as vases and other large utensils and decorative items, as well as small items like earrings, bracelets, chopsticks or jars.

景泰蓝

景泰蓝又称"铜胎掐丝珐琅"，是一种中国传统的手工艺精品。它以细扁铜丝作线条，在铜制的胎地上捏出各种图案花纹，再将五彩珐琅点填在花纹内，经烧制、磨平、镀金而成。

景泰蓝起源于元朝时（公元1271～1368年）的大都城（今北京市），盛行于明代景泰年间（公元1450～1457年）。因其釉料颜色主要以蓝色为主，所以被称为"景泰蓝"。旧时的景泰蓝制品专供皇室贵族享用、是权力和地位的象征。新中国成立后，景泰蓝工艺有了进一步发展，在工艺上更趋成熟。目前的品种主要包括景泰蓝和花丝景泰蓝两大类，其中景泰蓝产品又分为金地景泰蓝和蓝地景泰蓝两部分，花丝景泰蓝又分为金地花丝、银地花丝和蓝地花丝三类。

"景泰蓝"完全由手工制成，制作过程十分精细，需要经过制胎、掐丝、烧焊、点蓝、烧蓝、磨光、镀金等十余道工序。景泰蓝的制作工艺既运用了青铜工艺，又利用了瓷器、珐琅等工艺，同时大量引进传统绘画和雕刻技艺，堪称中国传统工艺的集大成者。景泰蓝的造型优美，图案华丽，色彩鲜艳，给人以富丽堂皇之感，具有很高的艺术价值，在国内外广受赞誉。品种除旧有的装饰性摆件外，近几年又新发展出一大批实用性品种。