Chinese cloisonne pair of vases on a blue ground with feathered…
click the photo to enlarge
Chinese cloisonne pair of vases on a blue ground with feathered & floral motifs & fine scrolled gilded detail. Height 27 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.

    For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.

    Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

A Daum Nancy miniature acid etched cameo glass landscape vase, French, circa 1900 painted mark Daum Nancy and Cross of Lorraine. 12.3 cm high

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Two Royal Worcester vases, 'Pheasants' by Jas (James) Stinton, 1911, of squat form painted both sides, each with blush neck, 14.5 cm high (2)

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Royal Lancastrian posy vase. Fish decoration, height 15 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

An Ashby Guild early 1900s candlestick, the round base with tapering plain column in a purple mottled glaze. Impressed mark to base. Height 23 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.