Asian Enamel Wall Plaque
An asian enamel wall plaque brings dense colour and intricate metalwork to a room, offering finely rendered birds, dragons, and koi from past centuries.
Asian Enamel Wall Plaque
When you search for an asian enamel wall plaque, you encounter circular chargers, decorative plates, trays, and display plaques made across the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries. These items originate from Japanese workshops spanning the Edo and Meiji periods, alongside Qing Dynasty examples.
The pieces you meet most often on this page are large Japanese cloisonne chargers and plates featuring natural motifs such as birds, koi, ibises, and shrimp, alongside figurative samurai or demon scenes and dragons.
How they were made
Maker workshops built these works on copper, brass, or bronze foundations, shaping plates and chargers before applying surface decoration. Wood mounts also appear to support display formats.
Coloured glass pastes filled the cells formed by thin metal wires soldered to the base, creating the characteristic cloisonne enamel patterns seen across the listings.
Asian Enamel Wall Plaque Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for asian enamel wall plaque among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
A shrimp finds itself immortalised in detailed wire and enamel among the birds and dragons.
What varies in quality
The distinction between standard decorative items and finer examples rests on the complexity and precision of the wirework and enamel filling. Masterpieces display ambitious scale, reaching fifty centimetres, paired with detailed depictions of leaping koi or dragons.
Subtlety of colour shading and the crispness of the subject matter, whether a soaring bird or a historical samurai scene, separate ordinary production from pieces of superior execution.
The Asian Enamel Wall Plaque Glossary
- Cloisonne Enamel
- A technique where thin metal wires form raised cells on a metal body, which are then filled with coloured vitreous paste and fired. This method defines the surface texture of the majority of these plates.
- Charger
- A large decorative plate or platter intended primarily for display rather than dining use. Many pieces on this page take this circular form.
- Meiji Period
- The era in Japanese history spanning from 1868 to 1912, associated with many of the extant cloisonne plates and chargers recorded here.
- Edo Period
- The period of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1867, representing the earlier origin dates found among the large dragon and koi chargers.
Asian Enamel Wall Plaque: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I hang an asian enamel wall plaque?
These pieces generally function as display plates or chargers, so mounting them safely requires a specialist wire wall hanger designed to grip the rim without causing damage.
Ensure the fixing is secure in the wall, as larger chargers possess substantial weight due to their metal and enamel construction.
Were these plaques made for export?
Many of the nineteenth-century pieces produced during the Meiji period were created to satisfy international interest in Japanese metalwork and decorative arts.
Workshops combined traditional techniques with large-scale formats suited to Western display tastes.
What subjects appear on these pieces?
Common imagery includes natural subjects such as leaping koi, herons, ibises, and dragons, alongside figurative scenes featuring samurai and demons.
These motifs are rendered in detailed cloisonne wirework across copper or brass bases.
How do I distinguish Edo period pieces?
Pieces attributed to the Edo period generally date from the mid-nineteenth century or earlier, often appearing as large dragon or koi chargers.
They share the same cloisonne enamel construction methods as later Meiji examples but correspond to earlier production eras.