38 nights till Christmas Eve

My art student colleague Sanna hosted pre-Christmas party to our class tonight - this was already the third time, so we can talk about tradition.

Earlier today I finished our family's Christmas card design, earlier than ever before, I think!  (Small teaser on the left hand side.) I have also bought the first Christmas magazine. The pig in the photo has been made in Cloisonné technique and I have bought it from Beijing many years ago. 

Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or affixing thin wires or strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colors. Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln. In antiquity, the cloisonné technique was mostly used for jewellery and small fittings for clothes, weapons or similar small objects decorated with geometric or schematic designs, with thick cloison walls. By the 14th century this enamel technique had spread to China; the technique remains common in China to the present day.




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