492 ART INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS. 



in Berlin, and Barbedienne in Paris. These costly articles with pit 

 enamel are seldom seen in Germany. The deceased L. Ravene 

 was the first and only one who endeavoured to found this industry 

 in Germany. His manufacture of smaller articles, like brooches 

 and cuff buttons, was all that found sufficient support, while for 

 larger productions, in spite of their marvellous execution, there 

 was no sufficient appreciation, and on the other hand facilities for 

 making them were wanting. 



Barbedienne in Paris had a much better field for his work. 

 Twenty years ago, when the first larger articles of Cloisonne enamel 

 came from Japan, he endeavoured to imitate them. Several other 

 bronze manufacturers, like Christofle, followed his example. They 

 soon succeeded in decorating vases, plate, and other articles, with 

 cell enamel as beautifully as the Chinese and Japanese, but with 

 such an expenditure of time and money as made competition with 

 Eastern Asia impossible. 



It has never been exactly determined how long the art of 

 enamelling was practised by the Chinese, nor when it was com- 

 municated by them to the Japanese, but it seems scarcely doubtful 

 that it was not known in either of these countries before the inven- 

 tion or introduction of the porcelain industry. After the sacking 

 of the treasures in the Summer Palace at Pekin in 1859, the French 

 brought to Paris, among other art treasures, some Cloisonne enamel 

 on copper, consisting of pieces with inscriptions and marks which 

 left no doubt as to their origin in the time of the Ming dynasty 

 ( 1 368-1 645 A.D.). No older specimens of enamel have been received 

 from China. 



According to Japanese statements whose correctness we have 

 no reason to doubt, the art of manufacturing Shippo-yaki was 

 introduced into Japan near the close of the i6th century by 

 Hirato Hikoshiro, and established itself at Nagoya in Owari, where 

 it still has its principal seat. The industry is carried on there 

 and in several neighbouring places, among them in Toshima, 3 ri 

 west of Nagoya, in about thirty houses, generally as a small trade. 

 About twenty or thirty years ago it was also established in Kioto, 

 Osaka, Tokio, and Yokohama. Here they have not stopped with 

 enamelling copper vessels, but the process has been successfully 

 extended to porcelain (Toki). Nagoya consequently furnishes now- 

 a-days Toki-shippo, as well as Shippo-yaki, i.e. Cloisonne enamel 

 on porcelain and copper. Still another peculiar kind of decoration 

 is seen in the products from Seto, especially on flower vases, bearing 

 the name Shippo-urushi. The surface to be decorated is covered 

 with a network of brass cells, which are filled not with enamel 

 colours but with the groundwork material of the lacquer industry, 

 and finally painted over with lacquer colours. 



Thirty years ago Japanese enamel was not at all known in 

 Europe and was not to be found in any of the old collections with 

 the Japanese lacquer ware, bronzes, and porcelain. The reason of 



