National Treasure: Jingdezhen Ceramics

By JDZ-Ceramic

 National Treasure: Jingdezhen Ceramics、

Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum remains the most renowned cultural tourist attraction in the city. 

Opening in 1954, the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum became the first institution of its kind in China and today it remains perhaps the most renowned cultural tourist attraction in Jingdezhen, a city known as the Capital of Porcelain.

The museum houses a great variety of historic pottery and porcelain exhibits. Most pieces were fired in governmental kilns during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Also featured are artworks from the Republic of China period (1912-1949) and masterpieces produced by renowned ceramists of modern times. The museum has become a window to a cultured past spanning 1,000 years of Jingdezhen’s ceramic civilization.

The collection includes rare porcelain wares from the Song (960-1276), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, many of which are considered national treasures. And the exhibit surpasses all other museums in its holding of ceramic masterpieces created in the past 100 years.

The total collection is comprised of more than 13 categories and 250 subcategories of ceramics, spanning more than 2,000 shapes and more than 10,000 patterns.

Housed here are 378 pieces that have won international, national, or ministerial gold and silver prizes with four having won the National Prize for New Product Development. Exhibits also include many porcelain wares that were presented as state gifts in times past, as well as noted porcelain wares from Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

For decades the museum has cultivated talented artisans of the ceramic craft. Today there are four: Ning Qinzheng, vice curator of the museum and a master of art and craft in Jiangxi Province; Cao Ganyuan, academic supervisor of the museum and chairman of the Jingdezhen Calligraphers’ Association; Chen Jun, curator assistant of the museum and a senior specialist in art and craft; and Sun Lixin, a senior specialist in arts and crafts born into a family of ceramists and now acting as director of the Jingdezhen Wenbo Art Exchange Center. Many of their pieces have garnered domestic and international awards and are popular among collectors both in China and overseas.

Winning wide praise both home and abroad, in recent years cultural relics and artworks from the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum have appeared at many exhibitions in France, Japan, Macao and Hong Kong. The year 2004 marked the millennium anniversary of Jingdezhen and in 2003, the Chinese Culture Center set up in Paris by the Ministry of Culture of China held “Burning Brilliance”¡ªThe Exhibition of Ancient Porcelain Masterpieces of Jingdezhen. French President Jacques Chirac personally wrote to the center and visited the exhibition. “As the essence of Chinese culture, porcelain spreads the fame of Chinese culture around the world, especially in Europe,” he said.

The ceramic exhibition and other featured mediums reflecting Chinese heritage at the Chinese Culture Year in France proved a strong draw for the French public. The exhibition, with only 60 pieces displayed, attracted more than 10,000 visitors and all exhibits were heavily attended.

Jingdezhen’s porcelain artworks have generated interest and participation within the international culture of ceramics. For instance, the ceramic industry of France has developed a close relationship with that of Jingdezhen.

From the Ming Dynasty to the middle Qing Dynasty, a large quantity of porcelain wares made in Japan were modeled after those made of Jingdezhen, which had already been widely traded and collected across the globe. Since the Ming Dynasty, countless Jingdezhen porcelains were transported by Portuguese traders to Europe via Macao. Over the past 100 years in Hong Kong, an international metropolis known by some as the Capital of Art Collections, there have emerged a number of collectors who revel in Jingdezhen porcelains.

The French newspaper, Le Figaro, in praise of the Exhibition of Ancient Porcelain Masterpieces of Jingdezhen, described its cultural wares as: “Resplendent white gold, beautiful Chinese porcelain.” These are the particular jewels of the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum, a palace of art depicting a city’s 1,000-year-old ceramic civilization.

Background information:

A world-famous brand, since the 15th Century Jingdezhen has enjoyed great reputation within the ceramic industry, whereas genuine porcelain was not produced in Europe until the 18th Century. Under the influence of Jingdezhen ceramics, the industry began to truly develop in Europe in the 19th Century. From the late Ming Dynasty through the early Qing Dynasty, chinaware - with Jingdezhen as synonym - sold well in Europe and around the world. Known in some regions as white gold, porcelain wares were popular with families of both aristocratic and common background. Noblemen in Europe and Japan were proud of their collections of Jingdezhen ceramics and shipping companies gained great wealth by trading Jingdezhen ceramics. (Thus the derivation of the label China in Europe.)

Lotte Jingdezhen Ceramic pottery creative agency of the Promised Land

By JDZ-Ceramic

Lotte Jingdezhen Ceramic pottery creative agency of the Promised Land
Lotte Tao Agency. Established in Hong Kong in 1985 for the purpose of potters and those who love pottery and production space to enjoy. Lotte Tao agency today by the famous Miss Zheng Yi potters command, has become Hong Kong’s largest pottery center. In order to expand the exchange of ceramics, in 2002, Lotte Tao founded the agency in Shanghai, the new studio and showroom; Jingdezhen pottery Lotte agency was set up in 4 years ago; Tao Lotte 2007 Beijing formally established agency. As Lotte Tao Yi Zheng Club annual travel to Hong Kong, Beijing, between Shanghai and Jingdezhen. Very Coincidentally, Ms Cheng at a press conference the day before the interview went just arrived at Jingdezhen. Thus, the reporter had the privilege and the Lotte Tao’s head as she talked about the effort to build the “Kingdom of creativity.”

“Jingdezhen is a very spiritual place, a lot of people would like pottery hereմմ’Aura’.” Miss Zheng Yi is a pleasant person, born optimist, even the talk is the exultant. Lotte Jingdezhen pottery before the creation of social organizations, she has been abroad many times to view the exchange of potters, but every time there regret - do not have a specialized Jingdezhen potters for foreign exchange and creative place. Of course, this place can also provide related services such as catering accommodation, which needs the creation and exchange continue for some time. Are based on this, May 1, 2005, Ms Cheng choose to establish a sculpture of Jingdezhen porcelain pottery Lotte agency, to assume the foreign exchange and creative potters base functions. “Chose porcelain sculpture, is very optimistic about where the ceramic culture.” Zheng Yi said.

Zheng president of the success of a number of foreign countries have come here especially for potters.

Interview the same day, journalists in Lotte’s foreign pottery art room to see the five foreign potters. University of Hawaii from the United States teachers Miss Chen Songli accepted an interview with reporters. This reporter has learned that this is the second time Ms Chan came to Jingdezhen, and is prepared to stay here for six weeks. Back to the United States, she is also prepared to come with their own students.

Last year, Ms. Chen first came to Jingdezhen, the city felt the strong atmosphere of ceramics, “but this kind of environment in other parts of the world’s unparalleled.” She also cited examples reporters, “In the United States, it is very difficult to buy ceramic glaze-related, but in Jingdezhen, these are not problems.” To go back after listening to a lot of students in her introduction, it is thought of Jingdezhen to. Conversation, she opened a small paper, showed reporters not long ago to do her a pair of small porcelain shoes. She said that she take it back to the United States, sent his best friend. Mountains can be seen here, she is very happy.

Lotte social event of pottery not only in foreign countries, “Phoenix” Jingdezhen as its impact on the expansion of the local community, gradually, more and more young people to gather together here. Zheng Yi found that many of these young people, such as ceramic College students in institutions of higher learning, they create works Lotte Lotte to sell on. The reporters found that these young people do not have a fixed work patterns, more like a whim, but very popular with visitors welcome.

The development of the past few years, today’s Jingdezhen pottery Lotte agency has air-conditioned studios, pilot plant, galleries, shops, cafes and artists homes, canteens and so on. Here is not only the artists and young students to exchange and creation of the stage, more like a big family of potters. “I would be happy to Lotte as a pilot plant, more specifically, a ceramic factory creative experiment.” Zheng Yi Tao this to their own social positioning. The people here are willing to put it than for the 798 Art District in Jingdezhen.

Lotte Tao agency has its own “reserve program”, for example, are held every Friday evening in a lecture ceramics. For instance, every Saturday or during holidays or Porcelain Fair, Lotte Jingdezhen pottery agency would provide the college students a venue to enable them to put a stand to sell his pottery works, a fine-sounding name on “creative fair” .

June 28, this reporter went to “creative fair” interview. Liu is on the third time to give them the platform Lotte was very pleased, she said: “Only in Jingdezhen, in Lotte have such an environment. In here that can not only make the cost of living is more important is access to practical experience and recognition of their work. ”

Jingdezhen Ceramic History of the development spoke of the prospects for the creative industries with the confidence of Zheng Yi. In her view, not lack of Jingdezhen ceramics culture, and not missing very edge industry in Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen current lack of creativity is, “Of course, such shortcomings are not unique in Jingdezhen, China’s ceramic industry is the existence of this phenomenon. It is gratifying that the local government of Jingdezhen is attention to this matter, there are a lot of people doing this thing. ” Zheng Yi Jingdezhen were each to want to leave, she said, whether it is in Hong Kong or in Beijing and Shanghai, ceramic art is not very strong atmosphere, with which it is difficult to carry out related work, but not the same as in Jingdezhen, surrounded by so ceramics who are expert, good atmosphere, and easily communicate.

Lotte Tao agency is an “art space” is also a business, the Tao of Lotte’s the next stage of development, Zheng Yi has his own ideas. She said that she is an artist, but also the Tao Lotte’s operators, as a business, the economic benefits that must be considered, otherwise, it would be difficult to survive and develop. Lotte Tao On the main objective of the current agency, said she was very calm and the word Hill - to make money. She played a very vivid metaphor, founder of Lotte Tao agency, just as in the revised Highway, a few years ago the task is to repair, and now the road has been repaired, it is necessary to start charging fees, it is to the benefits.

Today, Lotte Tao agency also set a porcelain sculpture of two large plants, to expand the exchange of artists and venues. Zheng Yi very confidently told reporters that she read the relevant leaders in the planning and operation of these notions, have expressed sincere appreciation for the mountain. “I want to Lotte Tao Jingdezhen Ceramic Society into a model of cultural and creative industries so that more people involved so that more of the ‘ceramic people’ to see the creative industries’ money ‘King.” Zheng Yi still enraptured when they talk.

Jingdezhen porcelain manual transmission skills base to protect the opening

By JDZ-Ceramic

Jingdezhen porcelain manual transmission skills base to protect the opening
The morning of July 4, Jingdezhen porcelain hand the protection of heritage skills base and skills of Jingdezhen porcelain representation of the traditional heritage of people in the Demo Center ceremony held Ceramics Expo history, the town of Kiln maintenance works at the same time also held a groundbreaking ceremony. Municipal Standing Committee, Vice-chief Lu Zhengda City, City Hall and the city Department of Cultural Affairs of the leadership and the first batch of 10-bit representation of the old skills of traditional porcelain artists participated in the opening ceremony. Unveiled, such as Lu Chia.

Jingdezhen porcelain is both Chinese and foreign well-known, the Millennium kiln fire porcelain left a superb artistry, creating a large number of porcelain with a rich tradition of ceramic production skills of workers, “Jingdezhen porcelain hand skills” and other projects have been included in the respective countries, provincial, municipal list of intangible cultural heritage protection. Provincial and municipal leadership attaches great importance to the traditional porcelain artists old and traditional art heritage protection work, in September last year, Jingdezhen Municipal People’s Government issued the “traditional porcelain in Jingdezhen City heritage skills were identified with the representation of Interim Measures for the Administration”, through established procedures to assess the city have had a tradition of the first batch of 10 porcelain arts veteran representative to promote the city of ceramics of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection of heritage, and achieved gratifying results.

Expo area porcelain history of the town to retain the traditional kilns and workshops, bringing together a large number of old porcelain artist, is the largest city of the 4A level scenic areas, hand-built porcelain heritage skills base and the protection of traditional Jingdezhen porcelain representation skills Demo Center inheritance were fully explore the use of cultural resources, protection of cultural heritage in our city to promote a strong tradition of work initiatives. To the “base” and “Center” building, is of great significance and far-reaching consequences. The town of 300 tam kiln is a city the size of firewood kiln remains only to protect the kiln room building will be the furnace, “such as repair of old old”, while maintaining the protection of productive ways to protect the kiln built heritage, traditional skills kiln , and its practical significance and far-reaching impact of the ceramic to porcelain heritage cultural heritage and continuously push forward the work.

Wind Yixing Ceramic Pottery Art Museum opened in China

By JDZ-Ceramic

June 12, after nearly six months of meticulous preparation, “Tao is the wind - China Yixing Ceramic Art Exhibition” In the grand opening. NPC Standing Committee, Jiang Shusheng, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee vice chairman of Sun, Lin Wenyi, Yu Linxiang, political commissar of the Armed Police Force General, Deputy Minister of the Central Propaganda Department, Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office and the Provincial Standing Committee, Party Secretary Yang, Municipal Standing Committee, Yixing Municipal such as secretary, attended the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the exhibition. Attended the opening ceremony were Wu Guanzhong celebrities such as the arts and cultural community.

The opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, the former South Korean ceramic culture of Mr. Jiang Qingzhi Association, China Association of Ceramic Technology Museum Curator Mr. Liu and Mr. Fan Dian China office said. UNESCO International Ceramic Association, USA and China Ceramics Society, Ceramic Society of Korea, the Chinese Arts and Crafts Association, the Chinese Arts and Crafts Society, the Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman of the Bureau of the CRIC, etc. Mr. Huang Zhengxiong and sent a congratulatory telegram.

Yang gave a warm speech. He said that the exhibition is to the National People’s Yixing presented a gift, but also the cultural life of the majority of the people of a big happy event. Yixing would hope that the exhibition as a new starting point, and further carry forward and promote the ceramic culture, the “Tao of China are” more ring called the “purple card” more brightly polished.

The “Tao is the wind - China Yixing Ceramic Art Exhibition” strong line-up, the entire exhibition area of nearly a thousand square meters, includes 20 classic works of history, as well as 10 countries Yixing masters of arts and crafts, arts and crafts 14 provincial master 27 provinces, including arts and crafts celebrity industry more than 100 elite 216 fine ceramics. This 216 (sets) of work covered by the purple, blue, are pottery, fine pottery, painted the United States “five golden flowers” of a variety of styles and genres, including purple works for more than 80%. A unique and perfect the art form Yixing thick highlights the context and the high level of ceramic art.

After the opening ceremony, around Yixing Yixing Ceramic Art is also the historical categories of the causes and the development trend of the cultural values purple on the impact of economic and social development, such as the contents of the invitation of the Chinese Art Research Association, the National Palace Museum, the leading experts in Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts scholars in the China Art Gallery held a symposium. “Tao is the wind,” the exhibition will show June 12 to June 22, the capital, people and tourists around the world will be fortunate enough to see the unique Yixing Ceramic Art style.

Ceramics Industry Exhibition - Guangzhou new case of crisis situation

By JDZ-Ceramic

As has been successfully held 23 sessions, China and Asia’s largest exhibition of ceramic industry, Guangzhou Industry in promoting the development of China’s ceramic industry will undoubtedly play an important role and significance. However, from this year’s exhibition industry to reduce the traffic of the reality, the Chinese ceramic industry event in the current pattern of global ceramic industry has witnessed tremendous changes in the new situation, is faced with a breakthrough with the enhancement of a comprehensive crisis.

There is no doubt that the Chinese ceramic industry, especially ceramic machine, chemical and related industries, the current can be said to be outside of Italy in addition to the most complete and full, although in some areas, world-class level and there is a big gap, but the scale of to create the level of market share in the international market and so have an important role. As China’s ceramic industry in the direction of the international market scene, industrial exhibition size, grade and influence, no doubt the development of China’s ceramic industry has an important role to promote and facilitate.

Judging from this year’s show, customers from abroad, such as more concentrated in the Southeast Asian countries and regions, new ceramics, from Europe and the United States significantly reduced traffic areas. This is among the natural global economic downturn, H1N1 virus, the impact of such factors, but show organizers in the overseas market promotion and publicity is the key decision factors show traffic. The scene in the show, many exhibitors would like to increase the industrial exhibition organizer in the overseas market promotion efforts, the Industry Exhibition higher position, run a greater scale, so that it truly becomes an important international ceramics industry event rather than the show has hit brand, reap the profits. In the long run, the industrial exhibition in the ceramic industry of the status of the occasion will be further down, thus weakening the revitalization of China’s ceramic industry, the exhibition explore the role of the international market.

In the ceramic industry, Italy Bologna Fair, no doubt the influence of the absolute, it not only brings together world-class manufacturer of ceramics, and has extensive international procurement channels and customers, so that each enterprise participating in the show can find a great business opportunities, which is excluded from the Italian event for many years, refused to Chinese enterprises an important reason why exhibitors. On the ceramic industry, set aside in terms of industry, China is currently the largest outside Italy, matching the most complete national, as the center of Foshan in the major producing areas have been thousands of ceramic machine, chemical industry and related businesses, industries set group of the most complete, in some areas, and even catch up with and more than Italy. However, how to cluster and scale of this advantage to enter into overseas markets, show no doubt is an effective way out. In fact, during the exhibition industry in Guangzhou, Munich, Germany, held on-site ceramic industry in October this year, the Expo will promote the fight for customers cited the war to the front of the Guangzhou Exhibition Industry.

In addition, although the current industrial exhibition of overseas exhibitors and customers a certain number remain, but many exhibitors is based on many years of China’s ceramic industry show the brand recognition, more viewers in Southeast Asia is also the participating businesses to customers or co-operation partners, are invited from participating businesses. If the host name of strengthening in the overseas market promotion and publicity to further enhance the impact of Industry Exhibition in Guangzhou, and will attract more international top companies and customers to come and negotiate the exchange of exhibitors, which will show the size, grade and impact force and the level of China’s ceramic industry to match.

Only to go out in the broader market, the broader field of Chinese ceramics exhibition industry and its promotion and publicity in order to allow more customers the power of knowledge in China, to cooperation in the industrial exhibition in Guangzhou eyes. Only in this way can we make next year’s industrial exhibition in the international market to achieve greater influence, so that China’s ceramic industry in the direction of the international market scene, and then take power into the ceramic ceramic Powers of the mission.

18th. Century Chinese Porcelain Pillow With Figural Design

By JDZ-Ceramic

18th. Century Chinese Porcelain Pillow With Figural Design - Master Chinese Ceramic Artist

18th. Century Chinese Porcelain Pillow With Figural Design

Master Chinese Ceramic Artist

Ceramic Art - Antique Porcelain Pillow

Price

$1,300.00

Dimensions

13.000 x 18.000 cm.

This original ceramic art is currently for sale.   At the present time, originals are not offered for sale through the FineArtAmerica secure checkout system.   Please contact the artist directly to inquire about purchasing this original.

Description:

18th. century Chinese porcelain pillow with hand decorated figural design. The pillow mate is available at a discount, if desirable to the buyer. Additional photos available on request to the interested buyer. Reasonable offers might be considered. We offer free shipping by priority mail to our USA customers and shipping at cost to our international clientele.

Tags:

ceramic art, ceramic art ceramics, antique chinese ceramics ceramics, porcelain pillows ceramics, qing period porcelain ceramics

What Are Pottery and Ceramics?

By JDZ-Ceramic

What are pottery and ceramics? Is there a difference? Is everything that is made out of clay pottery? Are all ceramics made out of clay?

Pottery and ceramics have been an important part of human culture for thousands of years. From prehistoric storage jars to tiles on the space shuttles, pottery and ceramics have played a key role in innumerable human endeavors. But how do we define them?

What Are Ceramics?

Images Courtesy of Quinnums and Bernt Rostad (Flickr) and Beth Peterson

Technically, ceramics are those things made from materials which are permanently changed when heated. For example, clay has chemically-bonded water in it which will cause it to slake down (disintegrate) when a dried clay object is put in water. Once heated (fired) to between 660⁰ and 1470⁰F (350⁰ and 800⁰C), the clay is converted to ceramic and will never dissolve again.

All clay is a ceramic material, but there are other ceramic materials, as well. Glazes are also ceramic materials, because they permanently change during firing. Industrial ceramics include a range of materials such as silica carbide and zirconium oxide.

Chinese Arts Handicrafts - Porcelain, Chinaware

By JDZ-Ceramic

Unlike the course and porous earthenware, porcelain vessels are in the wholly vitrified, have a white color, sometimes translucent, and they have a fine-grained liquid-proof body. Chinese porcelain is worldwide known for its beautiful white color, its thin walls (a Chinese proverb says, “whiter than jade and thinner than paper” 比玉白,比紙薄) and its clear bell-like sound. The first real porcelain in China was made during the Tang Dynasty 唐, but industrial manufacturing was only exerted during the Yuan period 元, when Marco Polo wrote his reports about China. The word “porcelain” originally meant a kind of sea snail similar to the cowry snail. One of the first production places for porcelain ware was Gaoling 高陵/Shaanxi , a town that gave its name to one raw material for chinaware, kaolinite. To produce chinaware, feldspar is grounded and mixed with kaolinite, shaped to an object that is fired at around 1,400°C (2,600°F). The spar vitrifies, while the kaolinite ensures that the vessel keeps its shape in the kiln. In Europe, soft-paste porcelain was produced form the 16th century on, but the secret of true china hard porcelain was only discovered in 1707 in Meissen/Germany. Porcelain without glaze is called biscuit porcelain, invented in France during 18th century, and is mainly used for figurines. When the feldspathic glaze and the body of the vessel are fired together in a second firing process, glaze and body fuse intimately with each other. Painted decoration of porcelain is usually executed over the fired glaze. The Chinese do not distinguish between porcelain and stoneware, both is called ci 瓷 “Porcellain” is further defined as pottery that is resonant when struck.
Historical periods: [Song chinaware][Yuan chinaware][Ming chinaware][Qing chinaware]

	One beautiful example of early Chinese porcelain is this small pot of a type called yu盂. Many of the Jin Dynasty 晉 pots have four eyes to be hung up. The cover of this brown glazed pot is decorated with two turtle-doves.
	New shapes and decoration patterns shows this pot (type bo 缽; by the way, modern Korean ricebowls with the same shape are made from metal and are called jubal 周缽 “round bowls”) from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Its yellow glazed surface is dotted with brown points, that are added in a regular pattern on belly and cover. The seize of the dots nonetheless is very unregular and points out a begin of the intuitive splotch decoration that is prevalent until the Tang Dynasty.
	Flower patterns like on this bowl from the Southern Dynasties 南朝 were still very rare during Han time 漢. The influence of lotus flowers in Buddhist art could have contributed to this new decoration pattern. A bowl sitting on a dish is also a new type.
	Clear influence of Indian and Central Asian art shows this pot from the Southern Dynasties period. Lotus flowers and honeysuckle are composed in different layers, one layer going up, the other showing to the bottom.
	Glazed with brown color, this flat Northern Dynasties 北朝 bottle is decorated with musicians. Pictures of people are very important to reconstruct clothing, instruments, festivities, architecture and so on.
	This 24 cm tall jar from the Northern Dynasties already shows the three color glazing (sancai 三彩) that became very popular under Tang Dynasty. The glazing is actually only made of two colors: green and brown, the third color white being the ground material. Typical for the period of division are the four eyes on the upper part and the round shape of the vessel.
	Another Northern Dynasties vessel is a prototype of the worldwide known typical Chinese vase with the wide belly and the long, straight neck. Unlike the overloaded Ming 明 and Qing 清 vases, this piece is decorated with a simple green splotch.
	The Song Dynasty 宋 porcelain is characterized by a very simple coloring and almost no decoration, like this 20 cm tall pure white covered bowl from the Five Dynasties period 五代.
	But Song chinaware did not only use more simple colors than the elder porcelain. New shapes and patters arose. The left vase in a green coloring looks very modern in its appering with the round body and the slim neck. A new technique of Song porcelain is the craquelée (kaipian 開片 or wenpian 紋片), making the glazing cracked all over as if it had been destroyed by temperature or water. The specimen on the right has a shape that reminds old bronze vessel types, but the two hallow tube-like handles on the side are a very new feature. Tallness about 20 cm.
	A Song chinaware cup that shows the change of colors from the olive green-yellow-brown types of the Tang Dynasty (that were still en mode) to a color range of green-blue-violet. During the reign era Jingde 景德 (1004-1007), the Song emperor Zhenzong 宋真宗 (r. 998-1022) had established imperial manufacturies at a small town called Jingdezhen 景德鎮/modern Jiangxi.
	Very typical for Chinese art are boxes that contain filial boxes or bowls. Most of these “box in the box” type contained cosmetics or medicine, and at the same time were a symbol of a lucky large number of children.
	From the late Tang Dynasty on, when Buddhism declined, the object of Buddhist veneration shifted from the huge state protected Avalokiteshvara to the Bodhisattva Maitreya (chin. Milefo 彌勒佛), also called Buddha of the Future. The venerated Avalokiteshvara was usually depicted with feminine characters and is called Guanyin 觀音. The Guanyin was no object of state veneration but found his/her place in private household or small temples. The specimen of the left is a porcelain Guanyin from the Southern Song period.
	The Yuan Dynasty brought new types of vessels. The type of cup to the left called “feeted cup” (zubei 足杯) was very popular from Yuan to the end of Qing Dynasty. It is 10 to 14 cm high and in most cases decorated in a very reserved manner.
	If we think of chinaware or Chinese porcelain, we first talk of the blue-white patterned porcelain that is typical for the last 700 years of Chinese art history. It first came up during the Yuan Dynasty and often showed motifs like shown on the left, a white plate decorated with a blue dragon, clouds and flowers.
	But also other types of vessels were decorated in blue-white. The slim vase with the broad shoulders on the left is a vessel type whose oldest specimen originate from the Song Dynasty. The progress in industrial manufacturing of porcelain allowed a refined style of these vases that often were covered by a small cup. 50 cm tall. Typical for Yuan Dynasty vases is the low and thick bowl-like vase shown on the right side. The cover is shaped like the hat of a flower bud or a fruits when it starts to grow after the blossom-time is over. 30 cm tall.
	Another example of feeted cups, zubei, from the Ming Dynasty, made of porcelain and different stones.
	During Ming Dynasty, this town developed to an industrial town manufacturing porcelain. Ming artisans introduced red and yellow colors to the typical blue-white porcelain that is typical for chinaware. The box on the left is used to contain painting brushes, and it is decorates with dragons playing inmidst clouds and waves.
	But the blue-white porcalain was very prevalent because it is cheaper to produce than mulit-colored vessels or objects. The plate to the left is only one example of the huge treasury of boxes, bowls and vases produced during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Industrially manufactures porcelain was so cheap that it replaced metal and stone objects in a wide range, and the manufacturies produced such an amount of material that it could even be exported to Southeast Asia and Europe.
	The vase on the left is a good example for the overloaded, some would say “kitschy” style of multi-colored chinaware that came up during late Ming Dynasty, ornated with red, orange, green, blue, and gold colors. On the contrary, there existed also very simple and barely decorated objects like the pair of vases on the right, used to flank an altar. They are only adorned with a dragon twirling around the slim neck.
	The pot-bellied vase from the Yuan Dynasty were still seen during later centuries, but quite rare. The example to the left is 40 cm tall and is - surprisingly - not purely exerted with the typical blue colors, but the gold fish are painted in a realistic red-gold color. Fish are a symbol for fertility in Chinese thought.
	Very famous among the tourists visiting China is the nine dragon wall in Beijing’s Forbidden City (see Imperial Palace). These walls were erected just behind the entrance gate of a court to prevent bad ghost entering the house (ghosts were believed to be able to walk around corners, they can only walk straight ahead). The Ming Dynasty emperors who erected the “modern” Forbidden City in Beijing had this wall adorned with ceramic tiles showing nine dragons playing amidst the waves of a river.
	These four vessels from the Qing Dynasty were used during the imperial offerings to the natural spirits. The right, red vase with a wide opening was used for the sun altar, the pale blue vase on the left for the moon altar. The dark blue vessel in the front, shaped like an old fu 簠 type bronze vessel from the Zhou Dynasty 周, was used for offering to Heaven, and the yellow vessel in the background, shaped like an old dou 豆 type bronze vessel, was used for the offering to the Earth.
	Lanterns in China are often red colored and made of paper - we can see them in every China restaurant around the corner. The most expensive lanterns were made of paper-thin porcelain, like the example on the left. On each side of this octogonal lantern, we see a small painting, centered in a field of a grid-patterned light zone. The structural parts of the relief are thicker than the “hallow parts” and thereby give the impression of a grid. Similar effects are employed on the bottoms of cups and bowls. Holding the cup against direct light, a painting of a bird, a girl or anything else can be seen.
	Two examples shall show that Qing Dynasty bowls were not purely an industrial mass product of mean quality like we know them from the China food shop from the corner. While the bowl to the left shows us five different kinds of flowers on a coral red ground, the bowl to the right is partially covered with an enamel drawing of a pheasant among peony flowers.
	The advanced industrial technique allowed the creation of difficile shapes, decorations and styles. Typical for the Qing Dynasty chinaware is the gourd-shaped vase, made of porcelain “thinner than paper, whiter than jade”, like the Chinese say. The right example is decorated with lefs, the vase on the left, only thickened on the top of the neck, is painted with a bird scene on an orange background.
	A Song Dynasty vessel shape with broad shoulders still employed, Qing Dynasty artisans proved their skills for the example on the left to cover the body of the vase with a raised relief of leaves. The right vase, shaped like a gourd, divided its neck into three tubes, coming out of one single and unified body.
	Glazed tiles are not only found in China but also on the roofs of European Middle Age buildings. But typical for Chinese tiles are the shapes of demons, dragons and monsters numbering five to seven that protect the buildings agains the devastating stroke of lightnings. The example to the left are two roof of the Qing summer palace in Shenyang 瀋陽/Liaoning (Mukden).
	As Chinese thinking uses to pose two powers or elements into opposition (sun - moon, Heaven - Earth, male - female, dark - light), sets of pairs are also seen in Chinese art. The pair of vases on the left is a good example of industrial mass products to meet the needs of the common people, and at the same time, it is an example that not all vases or art objects are round, but that there are also quadrangular objects, symbolizing the earth.
	The consume of cigars or cigarets has never been widespread in China until the 20th century. Instead, Chinese used to enjoy tobacco in the form of snuff. Accordingly, snuff-boxes were a very common item for daily use. The left and middle snuff-boxes are made from porcelain and are painted with a landscape, the right blue box is made from glass and shows a crane flying over a river and a temple.

Chinese Arts Handicrafts - Stoneware, Earthenware, Pottery

By JDZ-Ceramic

Ceramics are objects shaped from earthen materials and fired in a kiln to make them water-proof and durable to a certain extent. The basic materials for ceramics are mineral-rich clay, containing kaolinite (Al₂[Si₂O₅][OH]₄), silica and feldspar. The crystal structure of these minerals allows a plastic forming of the clay, making it possible to create every thinkable shape that does not decay during the firing process. Feldspars are aluminosilicates containing sodium (Na), potassium (K) or calcium (Ca), fluxing agents, that reduce the melting temperatures of the silicates that harden the object. After blending of raw materials according to special recipes, the vessel is formed upon a rotating wheel, if the vessel shall be round. In the kiln, the ready made earthenware objects are gradually heated from room temperature through a hot zone, and back to room temperature to achieve some measure of bonding of the silica particles, consolidation of the object’s shape and reduction in porosity. Refinement of the earthenware can either be reached by vitrification of by glazing. Vitrification can be reached through a change of the silicate’s crystal structure into an amorphous glass structure, and it happens at very high firing temperatures between 1,500 and 1,800°C (2,900 and 3,200°F) that can be lowered by fluxing agents. Glazing is made by dipping the fired object into - or painting it with - a glazing slurry and firing it again at a somewhat lower temperature than the main firing. By the addition of special metallic oxides, the vessels are given colors of a relatively small range.
Earthenware and ceramics were produced by the human race as long as it exists. The oldest examples of Chinese ceramics serve, as in the other parts of the world, to identify the different cultures. Depictings of human beings especially came up during the Warring States period 戰國 and were very popular under the Qin 秦 and Han 漢 dynasties that created whole armies of clay statues. Tomb offering clay figurines serve as important archeological objects to reproduce architecture and clothing of ancient China. From the Jin Dynasty 晉 on, vessels and objects are glazed, mostly with yellow, green and brown colors (produced by ferrous oxides, ferric oxides, lead and vegetable charcoal combined with soda-lime). Typical for Tang Dynasty 唐 ceramics are the three colors (sancai 三彩) white of the vessel itself, therfore called whiteware, dark green and brownish yellow. Song Dynasty 宋 ceramics are only one-colored, either with a soft green or glazed white. But during this period, porcelain develops as an important ceramic product, and the taste of colors also changes to the worldwide known typical blue-white ceramic chinaware, which fully developed during the Yuan Dynasty 元.
Clay was not only the raw material for vessels either daily use vessels or art objects, but also the ground material for statues of deities in Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist temples.
Historical periods: [Qin-Han pottery][Jin pottery][Tang pottery][Song pottery]

	Typical for the Dawenkou culture 大汶口 (5000-3000 BC) located in Shandong are the red colored vessels painted with geometrical patterns. The vessels are sometimes shaped as animals, but we also find tripods among the Dawenkou vessels.
	Longshan culture 龍山 (3000-2000 BC) was the follower of the Dawenkou culture. Its pottery is a refined style of the latter. The eastern type of Longshan pottery is black colored and already shows the typical vessel types that are casted into bronze vessels during the Shang period 商, like the tripod ding 鼎 vessel to the left.
	This Longshan tripod called gui 鬹 by archeologists does not even represent a prototype of the typical three legged li vessel type of the Shang and Zhou 周 dynasties, but also shows the begin of the nipple-nail (ruding 乳釘) pattern of the later bronze vessels. But the whole composition with twisted handle and curved spout was not copied by the Shang artists.
	Majiabang culture 馬家濱 (5000-3500 BC) was located in the lower Yangtse valley. Its ceramics are mostly brown and show non-geometrical, more spontaneous patterns, sometimes realistic motifs like birds or fish. Right picture: Banshan culture 半山, a western branch of Yangshao culture 仰韶 (5000-3000 BC) was located in the northwest (modern Gansu) and is - like the Majiabang culture - caracterized by wide-bellied cooking pottery, but it is painted with more geometrical patterns than the former.
	While the stone-age pottery has either been painted or decoreated with cords, Shang pottery decoration is much more refined and shows very new patterns, like the flower and labyrinth motifs on the left vessel of the type dou ¨§.
	Shang bronze vessels are worldwide known, but metal objects were only affordable by the upper class. Ceramics were, of course, much cheaper and easier to produce, and at the same time shows the same styles concerning shape and decoration as the bronze vessel. The left pot is a Shang period vessel called lei 罍.
	Looking very modern, this wine pot of the type hu 壺 is a product of artists from the Spring and Autumn period 春秋 that shows the typical features of Chinese vessels: three feet and the cloud-dragon-labyrinth pattern.
	Even during the Warring States period, vessels were not only cast of bronze, but also made from clay, like the left ding 鼎 tripod, having at least the same smoothness and beauty of its bronze counterparts.
	Another example of a Warring States pot, a vessel type called zun 尊. Late Zhou artists created vessels with phantastic shapes and patterns, exhausting all possiblities they had. This vessel is shaped like a bird and has no similar counterpart among bronze vessels.
	Among the most famous Chinese earthenware is the clay army, unburied from 1974 on near the tomb of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi 秦始皇帝 (r. 246/221-209 BC). It consists of several thousand statues of soldiers, mainly infantry, generals and chariot drivers. All figures are a little bit less than lifesize. While during the Shang Dynasty, human sacrifices after the death of a ruler were very common, the trend to humanization during Zhou time made it possible to replace real guardians for the dead ruler by clay statues.
	The whole body of the statues is sculptured realistic, and not even two soldiers have the same face. The production of the whole army must have consumed many time and manpower, and archeologists are not able to reproduce a soldier because of special blending and firing techniques that have not been handed down to later generations.
	The statue of an archer from the tomb of the First Emperor, on the right his head, showing armament, clothing and hair style in detail. Originally, the soldiers were all painted and equipped with wooden weapons that are already rotten in the earth.
	Very typical for Han Dynasty 漢 ceramics are grave furnishings. Similar to Egypt, rulers and members of the aristocracy had added things needed for daily life to their tomb. Mirrors, drinking and eating vessels, or even models of their domain or farmstead accompanied the nobles in the neither world.
	The court life of Han Dynasty was filled with music, dance and other entertainments. Among the most beautiful pieces of Han art are the figurines of dancing girls, showing us the type of clothing they wore and how women pinned up their hair. From the rest of coloration, we must assume that red was a very popular color during Han time.
	Although the vessel shapes of Han Dynasty pottery are still very similar to the ancient types, the decoration had changed. Scenes of daily life of the aristocracy, like the hunting scene on the left vessel, became prevalent instead of the old geometrical clouds and dragons.
	Han Dynasty pottery was not yet glazed, but painted with two main colors, red and black. The middle part of this 50 cm tall water container shows tigers among flower tendrils. The ceramics of southern China during the Han Dynasty used much more dark colors, like gray, white and black, and had patterns full of verve, depicting birds, flames, clouds and souls of deceased persons, as many vessels have been discovered in Han time tombs.
	The technic of glazing was invented during the 2nd century AD. Later Han ceramics, pottery as well as other objects like candle holders, are regularly glazed by yellowish brown, green-gray, black or translucent slurry. The left vessel (50 cm tall) shows that even new types of vessels came up. Western Jin Dynasty 西晉 pots are typically covered with the picture of a fortress, sometimes with a flock of doves sitting on the roofs and wild animals playing around.
	Jin Dynasty pottery is tending to be more round than the traditional vessel types from Shang to Han dynasties. The left vessel is covered with a dark glaze, into that flower patterns are scratched.
	The new vessel types are often straight necked over a wide belly. The black glazed pottery is typical for Eastern Jin times.
	Not every pottery of the time of division followed the new stream of types and shapes. We still find traditional three legged pots like the left yellow glazed pot from the Six Dynasties time 六朝. The composition of this object is not traditional, especially the hollow handle to pour out the wine inside that could be heated by a small fire between the three legs.
	Like during Han times, the nobility of the time of division had still made figurines of persons to enrich either their palace rooms or their tomb. While the more civil oriented dynasties of the south favored civil persons like officials and court women, the warrior dynasties in the north preferred depictings of soldiers (from the left: a ceramic figurine from Eastern Jin; from the Southern Dynasties; and from Northern Wei 北魏).
	A stoneware pot from Sui Dynasty 隋. Although very short-lived, the Sui Dynasty developed its own style for jars, characterized by a long neck and a dragon head-handle with the dragon head partially hidden in the spout.
	Three color glazing (sancai 三彩) was very popular during Tang Dynasty 唐. The three legged ball shaped vessel to the left is totally glazed with brown color, only added with green coloured leafs giving the vessel the appearance of a pumpkin.
	Tang popular art gives us clear details of the intrusion of Non-Chinese peoples into China. Camels traveled along the silk road to Inner Asia, bringing with them mercantiles and musicians from the West. Horses were an immensurable part of the military society of Tang, and figurines of horses are found everywhere. The example of the horse to the left is not glazed, but only painted.
	Tomb offerings are already highly important archeological findings to reconstruct social life of Han dynasty. Equally, the life of the ruling class is well represented by these three coloured figurines of court ladies, dancers and eunuchs or officials.
	Engraved with petals, this beautiful transparently glazed Five Dynasties 五代 box is shaped like a pumpkin or an apple.
	Song period 宋 earthenware is mostly glazed with blue flux, like the bowl to the left. The shapes of Song time vessels are entirely new and cut off their binding to the traditional pre-Han forms.
	A rose red glazed dish with three feet from Song Dynasty. Although most Song ceramics and porcelain is glazed with soft blue or green, fresh colours like in this example, or even black glazings are often seen.
	While the ground material clay is still formable, the patterns of peony flowers were cut into the body of this 20 cm tall Song time vase, before it is glazed to be dark green after the furnace process.
	East Asians do not use pillows like in the West. This tiger shaped head rest is one of the oldest examples of Chinese furniture, dating from Jurchen Jin Dynasty 金.
	Without any glazing, this 30 cm tall Yuan Dynasty 元 jar has the appearance of greek ceramics. Wave patterns at rim and bottom, the picture in the middle shows a scholar reading a book while he is sitting in a boat.

Han Dynasty Ceramics

By JDZ-Ceramic

Han Dynasty Ceramics
206 B.C. - A.D. 220

The Han dynasty is notable for its concentration on organized ceramic production. Mass-produced functional vessels, some stamped with place names and government offices, suggest that a true nationwide industry had come into existence and that some ceramic workshops were already state controlled. Molds aided tremendously in the manufacture of identical vessels, but the most important technical innovation was the development of lead glazing. These low-fired glazes were colored with copper to produce green, or iron to create yellow or brown. The toxicity of lead however meant that these new glazes were best suited to mortuary pottery rather than daily use.

While soft-bodied lead-glazed wares were manufactured largely in central China, the coastal region of southern China continued the production of high-fired stoneware incorporating a wood or ash glaze with a yellow-green color range that can be considered an early form of celadon. The expanded Han repertoire also included painted grey ware, which often imitated lacquer ware, burnished black ware, and stamped and incised decoration both glazed and unglazed.

Han ceramic tomb figurines, architectural models, farmyard animals, and horses made specifically for the tomb (ming-ch’i) are justifiably famous.