What blue is dead blue?

Cloisonne was regarded as dead blue in ancient China, but westerners liked it very much.

Cloisonne is cloisonne enamel, which is made by cutting out patterns with copper wires and then filling in colors and firing. Cloisonne has a brilliant blue color, which is not sought after by orientals. In the past, people in China said it was blue, and it was called dead blue. They don't like this blue, but westerners like this bright blue.

If you visit museums in Europe, you will find that many paintings have this blue background. Even a large number of furniture and other art forms have blue bases. So it's a little different from the traditional things in China. Painting enamel is different from cloisonne enamel, it is drawn directly.

Enamel color

Emperor Kangxi wanted to transplant this technology from the copper tire to the porcelain tire, and great craftsmen in ancient China developed Kangxi enamel, which was the most expensive porcelain in the heyday of Qianlong. Later, the emperor demanded that the porcelain tire be replaced by glassware, and the ancient craftsmen in China fired on the glassware, so there was a glass tire to draw enamel.

Painting enamel, which is generally thinner and lighter to handle, was introduced to the court from the Kangxi period. Emperor Kangxi liked it very much, so it spread quickly in the court. During the Qianlong period, the value of this kind of enamel painting was so high that ordinary people could not get their hands on it. By painting enamel, we can see the differences between eastern and western cultures and the results of mutual absorption.