Posted 3 years ago
KerryR
(1 item)
Is anyone able to tell me more about these Metal Ashtrays please. The are some type of glaze over a base metal and the tops spin to deposit the ash into the bowl. I really like them but would love to find out more. The lable Made in China is still on the bottom and they are pristine inside so I would guess they have not been used.
Hi, KerryR. :-)
Those are beautiful.
About Chinese cloisonne:
*snip*
Cloisonné decoration arrived in China in the 14th century, during the era of Ming Dynasty art, where it became known as "Dashi ware". Indeed, the most highly regarded Chinese items were made during the reigns of the Xuande Emperor and Jingtai Emperor (1450–57). The Chinese cloisonné industry may have benefited from the arrival of numerous Byzantine craftsmen following the sack of Constantinople in 1453.
*snip*
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/definitions/cloisonne.htm
The Chinese have made that flip top style of container out of other materials such as jade:
*snip*
Chinese Vintage Carved Natural Jade Flip Top Lid Incense Burner Ashtray It is approx 2" tall, 2.5" diameter and 3.5" wide
*snip*
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/chinese-vintage-carved-natural-jade-2100594288
If you perform an Internet search using "Chinese cloisonne flip top incense burner," you'll find numerous ones like yours.
How old are yours? I don't know. The fact that they have new-ish looking labels on the bottom with Latin alphabet characters spelling out "MADE IN CHINA" (an import/export law mandate) suggests that they aren't all that old.
Perhaps another CW user can decipher those Chinese characters on the label.
Thank you so much for the information and further links. No they are not that old my Husband purchased them in Hong Kong in the 1980's so pretty items rather than antiques. I did do a translation of the text and it also reads Made in China. I look forward to researching our more about colisonnes
KerryR, You're welcome. :-)
I myself found that tidbit about the history of the cloisonné technique in China interesting.
So you already have a pretty fair idea of vintage because of when your husband bought them. I suppose they could be older than the 1980s; however, they probably aren't older than the import/export laws regarding labeling:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_of_origin