Green Yin Yang Cloisonné Baoding Balls

Description

Green yin yang cloisonné Baoding balls arrive as a paired set, each sphere a small masterwork of kiln-fired enamel and hand-formed copper wire. The color is a deep, even green, precise at the edges, alive in the hand.

Baoding balls originate from Baoding city in Hebei province, China, where metal sphere-making dates to the Ming dynasty. Cloisonné, the technique of forming fine copper wire partitions on a metal base and filling each cell with powdered glass enamel before kiln firing, was refined at imperial workshops in Beijing during the Yuan and Ming periods. The yin yang motif, drawn from Daoist philosophy and formalized in the Yijing, represents the continuous interchange of opposing forces. On a paired set of spheres, the symbol carries its own logic: two objects, one system.

Each ball measures approximately 40mm in diameter and contains a small internal chime that sounds when the two spheres roll against each other. The copper base is hand-wrapped with fine wire to create the partition walls, each cell packed with enamel powder and fired multiple times to build up color depth. The green enamel is applied in two to three passes, buffed between firings for an even surface. The pair is presented in a traditional padded wooden box. Combined weight is approximately 250 grams.

Baoding balls, pair. Material: copper base with cloisonné enamel. Color: green with yin yang motif. Diameter: approximately 40mm each. Internal chime. Origin: Hebei province, China. Presented in padded wooden box.

Two balls, one craft, centuries of making. The chime is part of the object. Chinese artisans measured precision this way.