cloisonne means A decorative technique for metalwork, especially brass, whereby colored enamel is baked in partitions (cloisons) between raised ridges of the metal. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.
Why “cloisonne” is a great word
CLOISONNÉ — [Noun] A decorative enameling technique where colored glass paste is fired within compartments formed by thin, raised metal wires (cloisons) fixed to a metal surface, or any object made by this process. From French cloisonné (“partitioned”), past participle of cloisonner (“to partition”), from cloison (“partition, compartment”), from Vulgar Latin *clausiōnem, from Latin clausus (“closed, shut”). Unlike champlevé, where enamel fills recesses carved directly into the metal, or plique-à-jour, which creates a translucent, backless window of color, cloisonné is an art of brilliant, opaque containment. It is the lapis lazuli blue of a Byzantine reliquary, the sinuous emerald-green serpent on an Art Nouveau vase, and the precise, jewel-like geometry of a Ming dynasty jar—a testament to the human impulse to impose exquisite, fragile order upon molten chaos.
Etymology
From French cloisonné (“partitioned”).
noun
- A decorative technique for metalwork, especially brass, whereby colored enamel is baked in partitions (cloisons) between raised ridges of the metal.“Cloisonne is sometimes seen as a cheaper alternative to jewelled encrustation or filigree.”
- Objects decorated by this technique collectively.“The museum had a fine collection of medieval Italian cloisonne.”