Ceramic Art Archive

What is Porcelain? A white ceramic ware that is made of kaolin or China clay, which contains large percentage of vitreous substance. It is glazed and fired at high temperature of about 1300℃. Thinly potted porcelain has a translucent body with almost no absorption (approximately 0.5%) and makes a ringing sound like a metal when struck.

History of Chinese Ceramics

The history of Chinese ceramics can be traced back to over ten thousand years ago. During the Yangshao culture of the Neolithic age, earthenware with color decoration as well as red or white-bodied ware were made, and later in the Longshan culture, production of black ware flourished. In the Shang dynasty, ash-glazed ware which are also known as proto celadon began to appear and from the end of the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, hard-bodied, high-fired pottery with impressed decoration and ash-glazed ware were fired. By the Warring States period, gray ware with or without color decoration were produced in large quantities, one of the leading examples being the terracotta warriors excavated from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi. While low-fired lead-glazed ware, primarily funerary objects, developed during the Eastern Han dynasty, genuine celadon began to be fired at Yue kiln in northern Zhejiang Province, which later from the Three Kingdoms to the Southern Dynasties developed into its own distinctive form, such as a soul vase or an ewer with a chicken-headed spout. In northern China, lead-glazed ware and celadon were produced during the Northern Dynasty. In the Northern Qi dynasty, lead-glazed ware including the two-colored ware in which a green glaze was poured over a yellow-glazed base, and the well-known three-colored ware were fired, while some other examples that indicate the birth of white porcelain were also observed.