Cloisonne

 

Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using enamel . The decoration is formed by first adding compartments to the metal object by  soldering or affixing gold, silver or brass wires or thin 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 the Byzantine Empire techniques using thinner wires were developed to allow more pictorial images to be produced, mostly used for religious images and jewelry, and by then always using enamel. 

By the 14th century this enamel technique had spread to China, where it was soon used for much larger vessels such as bowls and vases; the technique remains common in China to the present day, and cloisonné enamel objects using Chinese-derived styles were produced in the West from the 18th century.