From ancient times to the present, although the appreciation of beauty varies widely among the nations of the world, they can all enjoy the enjoyment of beauty in some way. As far back as 9,000 years ago, while engaging in fishing, hunting, and agricultural production activities, Chinese ancestors not only began the most primitive construction activities, but also with the invention and use of fire, in the long-term labor practice of transforming nature, along with After countless experiences of time and success, we began to make and use pottery, which became one of the artistic creations of ancient Chinese culture, and unveiled the "Neolithic Age" in the history of human development. Although the forms and styles of pottery have changed in various ways due to differences in eras, regions or nationalities, and due to various influences from other conditions, and each has developed many characteristics, they all express the spirit of their own times, and this spirit is in the new era. The Stone Age is first reflected in the shape, decoration and texture of pottery. The greatest achievement of China's pottery industry in the middle Neolithic Age was the art of painted pottery. The cultures of various regions influenced each other, communicated with each other, or inherited and developed, forming unique and colorful artistic styles in the long history of China. Beauty comes from life, and it is from the perspective of expressing life that pottery makers indirectly express people's thoughts and feelings in a metaphorical way, or directly depict the customs and features of real life. After the Yangshao Culture, which was based on painted pottery, another type of cultural relics appeared, the Longshan Culture centered in Shandong. The outstanding achievement of the pottery industry during this period was the art of black pottery. The gray pottery surface of Longshan culture does not seek useless decoration. The success depends entirely on the black color of the vessel itself, which is best achieved by being "completely pitch black" and shiny. Sometimes the vessel body is slightly embellished with concave and convex patterns or holes, combined with shaping and firing, reflecting a simple and simple beauty. In the Shang Dynasty, white pottery appeared that imitated the patterns and shapes of bronze wares of the same period. At that time, it was a more luxurious craft than bronze wares, and the shapes of the wares were almost all ritual vessels. Particularly distinctive are the wavy thunder patterns, connected thunder patterns and a weird human-shaped cloud thunder pattern. It is a rare arts and crafts in human culture. There was no significant progress in pottery technology during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and there was not much development in artistry. Starting from the Warring States Period, our country entered a long feudal society. The production of hollow bricks was an important creation of potters during the Warring States Period. Since my country is a multi-ethnic country with a vast land, ceramic products vary greatly from place to place due to geographical location or other factors. From the texture point of view, the Baiyue area along the coast of the southeastern sea of ??my country is popular in gray pottery and printed patterns. Hard pottery and primitive pottery, while other areas are dominated by muddy gray pottery, followed by sandy pottery. Among the daily pottery, the main ones are clay and gray pottery. The clay of gray pottery contains a certain amount of sand and is fired at a high temperature. The pottery is hard and mostly gray or black gray. At the same time, stamped hard pottery is commonly used in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Guangdong and Guangxi in the Pearl River Basin. However, due to the rough texture of printed hard pottery, it is not suitable for use as eating utensils, so most of them are containers. "The six kings are complete, and the four seas are one." The Qin and Han Dynasties were also an important period in the history of the development of ceramics in my country. The Qin Dynasty pottery figurines, with their perfect artistic forms and vivid and lifelike expressions, profoundly reveal the inner world of various characters. They not only demonstrate the long tradition of realism in our sculpture art and the high level of ancient Chinese pottery making, but also serve as a reference for the world. It shows the profound and majestic national style of the Chinese nation. In terms of painting style, the painted pottery of the Han Dynasty changed from the flowing, vivid, enthusiastic and unrestrained style of the painted pottery of the Warring States Period to advocating a dignified and elegant charm. The picture is overwhelming and the colors are gorgeous. In the Tang Dynasty, with the prosperity and development of economy, long-term political stability and high national will, all aspects of the Tang Dynasty experienced unprecedented prosperity and improvement. The ceramic art that best expresses this prosperous Tang Dynasty is Tang Sancai glazed pottery. Three-color pottery figurines and three-color pottery are the artistic records of the era when they were made and the style paintings of the Tang people's life.
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The development history of Chinese ceramics
Ceramic culture in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties
The pottery pieces and pottery pots excavated from the Yinxu site in the Shang Dynasty include many types Styles include gray pottery, black pottery, red pottery, painted pottery, white pottery, and glazed hard pottery. The patterns, symbols, and characters on these pottery are closely related to the oracle bone inscriptions and green ware of the Yin and Shang dynasties. The high cost of green ware can only be enjoyed by nobles, and the general public can only use pottery for various daily utensils.
Therefore, it can be understood that the pottery technology of the Shang Dynasty has also been widely developed. Glazed hard pottery has appeared during this period. The glaze color is green with brownish yellow, and the texture is relatively hard and gray-white.
At this time, pottery is no longer limited to containers for holding objects, but has a wider range of applications. It can be roughly divided into daily necessities, construction, burial, and sacrificial vessels. The imperial court also attached great importance to pottery making.
Ceramic Culture of the Qin and Han Dynasties
Qin and Han Dynasty - Ancient buildings were mostly constructed of wood, which was not easy to survive for a long time. Therefore, some great buildings, such as the Afang Palace in the Qin Dynasty and the Weiyang Palace in the Han Dynasty , cannot be completely preserved, but relics such as tiles and Han bricks can still be found in the remaining ruins, which can give a glimpse of the scale of ancient buildings.
Ceramic culture during the Sui and Tang Dynasties
In 589 AD, Yang Jian usurped the Northern Zhou Dynasty and merged with the Southern Chen Dynasty, unified the Central Plains, and changed the name of the country to Sui. Although the Sui dynasty was short, But there was a new breakthrough in the firing of porcelain. Not only the firing of celadon, but also the white porcelain was very well developed. In addition, there were also innovations in decorative techniques at this time, such as additional clay pieces on the utensils - decals, Just one example.
Ceramic culture during the Tang Dynasty
By the Tang Dynasty, porcelain production could transform into a mature state and enter the real porcelain age. Because the difference between pottery and porcelain depends on whether it is white, hard or translucent, and the biggest key lies in the firing temperature. Although there was porcelain in the Han Dynasty, the temperature was not high and the texture was fragile and could only be regarded as original porcelain. However, in the Tang Dynasty, not only the glaze was mature, but the firing temperature could reach over 1,000 degrees Celsius. Therefore, we say that the Tang Dynasty really entered the era of porcelain. era. The most famous kilns in the Tang Dynasty were Yue Kiln and Xing Kiln.
Ceramic culture during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
The more famous firewood kiln of Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty during this period was mainly azure. "The place and the color are like the future", so it has the reputation of "the sky is clear and blue after the rain". It is recorded on the Tao Road that it is "as green as the sky, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper, and as loud as a chime", which gives us an idea of ??its exquisite production.
In the Five Dynasties, the Yue kiln once became the royal vessel of the Qian family of Wuyue King, and was not allowed to be used by the ministers. Therefore, it was also called the "Secret Color Kiln" at that time, and it was all for the manufacture of celadon.
Ceramic culture during the Song Dynasty - a collection of porcelain
In the later Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin seized power and established Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty, which was historically called the Northern Song Dynasty. The porcelain family of the Song Dynasty was the heyday of our country, and "Song porcelain" was also famous all over the world. Ding kiln, Ru kiln, Guan kiln, Ge kiln and Jun kiln are the five famous kilns. Their beautiful shapes, elegance and solemnity not only surpass the achievements of their predecessors, but few can match them even if they are imitated by later generations.
Ceramic culture during the Yuan Dynasty
In the 91st year of the Yuan Dynasty's takeover of the Central Plains, the porcelain industry declined more than that of the Song Dynasty. However, there were also new developments during this period, such as blue and white and underglaze red. With the rise of colored porcelain, white porcelain became the mainstream of porcelain. The glaze was white and bluish, which led to the development of porcelain in the Ming and Qing dynasties and achieved high achievements.
Ceramic culture during the Ming Dynasty
The development of my country's ceramic art entered a new journey in the Ming Dynasty. The porcelain before the Ming Dynasty was mainly celadon, and after the Ming Dynasty, it was mainly white porcelain. Blue and white porcelain and multicolored porcelain were the main products of the Ming Dynasty, and Jingdezhen became the main kiln factory with the largest scale. It continued to flourish for five or six hundred years during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The grand occasion was described as "white smoke covers the sky during the day." , red flames burn the sky at night."
The Yongle Xuande period was the early stage of blue and white porcelain. Although it was not as exquisite as sweet white and reborn, due to the input and use of Su Nibo blue cobalt material, the blue and white porcelain of this period shined; the painting skills Their artistic accomplishments are very high. They use the scattered halo of green materials to create the brushwork of bone flowers, which creates the interest of ink; some use different shades of lines to produce lively changes, making them appear more vivid and powerful. The input of Islam since the Yuan Dynasty has also brought rich patterns to this time. Coupled with the use of Chinese painting, the layout content is clear and clear, and it feels powerful and simple.
Chenghua and Zhengde were in the middle period of blue and white porcelain. At this time, Su Ni Bo Qing had been used up, and Ping Ping Qing was used instead. The light color was not as rich as Su Qing, and there was no halo ink effect, so in addition Developing towards adding color or detailed expression, the painting technique strives to be refined, the painting is detailed and evenly dyed, and the white porcelain thin body is added to achieve the goal of refinement.
The Jiajing and Wanli years were the late stages of blue and white porcelain. The use of Hui Qing brought grandeur to the Jiajing kilns, with rich and intense colors. At this time, production was larger and shipped to Europe by Dutch ships.
The famous five colors and fighting colors during the Wanli period became the basis for the development of colored porcelain in later generations. Even Japan's Imari ancient porcelain was developed based on the fighting colors of this period, and "Wanli colors" became famous in history. At the same time, there are various kinds of colored porcelain such as red ground with yellow color, blue ground with yellow flowers, red ground with blue and white, yellow ground with blue and white multicolored, painted red and so on, as well as the masterpieces of previous kilns. The patterns are even more varied and increased.
Starting from the Ming Dynasty, kiln sites tended to be concentrated in Jingdezhen. Both official kilns and private kilns tended to produce painted porcelain. Before the Song Dynasty, monochromatic glazes were the main type of porcelain, but after the Ming Dynasty, they entered the world of painted porcelain. After that, porcelain bodies also tended to be thin, thin, and white. From then on, the style began to be remembered on the body, including the age, hall number, and person's name, so that research and textual research could have a more accurate identification.
Ceramic culture during the Qing Dynasty
Chinese porcelain in the Qing Dynasty was at its peak. Thousands of years of experience, coupled with Jingdezhen's natural raw materials and the management of the pottery inspectors, the three generations of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong in the early Qing Dynasty had political stability and economic prosperity. The emperor valued it, and the achievements of porcelain were also very outstanding. The emperor's hobby With the promotion of porcelain in the early Qing Dynasty, the porcelain production technology in the early Qing Dynasty was superb, the decoration was exquisite and gorgeous, and the achievements were extraordinary. It was the most glorious in the long history of Chinese ceramics.
In the Qing Dynasty, except for the official kiln in Jingdezhen, private kilns in various places were extremely prosperous and made great achievements, especially the gradual west wind, the export of ceramics, and the spread of Western raw materials and technology. Due to the influence from outside, the ceramic industry has become richer and more colorful. Due to the mass production and imitation trends, the painting academy pursues fine and exquisite workmanship. Although there are amazing works, they lack creativity and focus on craftsmanship.
Dehua white porcelain from Fujian Province is white and transparent, and is famous for its production of Buddha statues. In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Guangcai ceramics developed for export were gorgeous and dazzling.
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Classification of Ceramics Ceramics can be divided into semi-porcelain, hard pottery, porcelain, hard porcelain, etc. based on the clay, feldspar, silica and other raw materials used and the mixing ratio. Others include calcareous pottery that uses limestone instead of feldspar, dolomite pottery that uses dolomite instead of feldspar, ashes porcelain that uses ashes instead of feldspar, and so on. Generally speaking, firing methods can be divided into two types: one is initially bisque firing at a temperature of 700 to 800°C, then glazing after bisque firing, and then firing at a temperature of 1100 to 1300°C; the other is One way is to first fire at a high temperature of 1100 to 1250°C, then apply glaze and then fire at a temperature of 900 to 1000°C. The method of painting and decorating porcelain after glazing is called overglaze (700~800℃). The method of painting before glazing is called underglaze (1000~1300℃). my country's ceramic decoration is rich and colorful, rich in national style and artistic characteristics. If classified according to artistic characteristics and expression techniques, they can be summarized into five major categories.
Ceramic decoration
Sculpture, color, glaze, overglaze painting, underglaze painting, precious metals
Engraving, carving, heaping, and carving , relief, shaping crystallized glaze, cracked glaze, placer glaze, matte glaze, flowing glaze color base ancient color, new glaze, pastel, Guangcai; printing, spray flower, brush flower, applique blue and white, multicolored, glaze black and red, decal If bright gold, polished gold, corroded gold, principal gold, and decals are divided according to their use value, they can be divided into two types: art ceramic decoration method and daily ceramic decoration method. The application of these two types of decoration depends on the specific method. , there is no strict difference, but there are very obvious differences in the decorative effects they present.
Methods Art ceramic decoration method Daily ceramic decoration method
The process requirements are complex and simple
Technical difficulty level
The decorative effects are varied and changing Unpredictable, some products are regarded as rare treasures and easy to control, product specifications are highly standardized and require fast updates
There are few products with the same effect as market demand, and the market demand is small, and they are generally used as Products with the same effect as the displayed artwork can meet the needs of the market, have a large demand, and are necessities for people's daily lives
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Identification of ancient ceramics
The traditional method of identification of ancient ceramics is through visual inspection. , observe and analyze with ears and hands to make accurate judgments on the firing age, kiln mouth, quality, and category age of the porcelain. People who are new to ceramic collection should learn and understand the basic knowledge of the development history of ceramics in order to identify ancient ceramics. my country has thousands of years of ceramic manufacturing history, and there are a vast number of ceramic relics passed down through the ages. Ceramics in each period have different characteristics and styles in terms of soil, glaze color, vessel shape, decoration, craftsmanship, and color. As long as we study hard, practice conscientiously, carefully examine the first piece of ceramics, and distinguish them carefully, we will be able to know the authenticity and avoid being fooled.
Ceramics is the art of fire and clay. The elements of ceramics are fetal bones, shape, glaze, decoration, color, craftsmanship, etc. Each type of ceramics has its own period of invention, creation and firing. Changes in soil and shape, as well as reforms and innovations in glaze, decoration, color and craftsmanship, have their own periods of success and popularity. This creation period is the upper limit of its era. The latest upper limit of an ancient ceramic's glaze, shape, decoration, color, craftsmanship, etc. is the upper limit of its dating. This is a principle that cannot be violated. The basis for identification is:
1. Fetal bone. With the continuous improvement of crushing, elutriation, and sintering technologies, the quality of fetal bones has also continued to improve. The early tire soil was not crushed and washed cleanly, and the firing temperature was only about 800 degrees. Therefore, the tire soil had many impurities, was loose, had high water absorption, and had poor strength. From the Shang Dynasty to the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty, the ceramic industry began to make its first leap. Primitive porcelain appeared. The firing temperature was about 1000 degrees, and the water absorption rate and strength were between those of pottery and porcelain. From the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the invention of porcelain in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the firing temperature was around 1,200 degrees. In the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen began to widely use the "binary formula" of porcelain stone and kaolin, which further increased the firing temperature of porcelain and also reduced the deformation of porcelain during the firing process. When identifying ceramics, we must be good at judging the age based on the degree of sintering of the smooth bones. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the phenomenon that local soil is used as the base in various places and the technology of mixed kilns in remote areas lags behind.
2. Type of device. Since the invention of pottery, various types of pottery have been constantly changing and developing according to the needs of people's lives and production in various eras and the changes in the aesthetics of social groups. If we can fully understand the changes in various types of vessels in each dynasty, we can be sure of success when making appraisals
From the relatively single types of vessels in the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties to the current plum vases and pankou vases , flushing bottles, celestial sphere bottles, elephant ear bottles, jade pot spring bottles, willow leaf bottles, phoenix tail bottles, revolving bottles, etc. Each bottle type has a dynasty in which it was first created, and the bottle body, bottle mouth, limb lines, etc. will change in each period. Some changes are obvious and some are subtle. If you are familiar with these laws of evolution, you can more accurately identify the authenticity of the bottle and accurately determine its age.
3. Glaze color. Since the invention of the glazed primitive porcelain of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the single-color glaze of the Qin and Han dynasties, there have been more than 100 kinds of color glazes developed today, and each color glaze has its date of birth and age. We should be familiar with the invention and production dynasty of each glaze color, and focus on mastering the epoch-making glaze colors, such as low-temperature copper glaze green, copper red, cobalt blue, high-temperature celadon glaze, green glaze, Ji blue, Ji red, yellow glaze, black glaze, Brown glaze, tea powder glaze, etc., and you must be familiar with the evolution and development of various glazes. For example: snowflake blue, sprinkle blue, etc. evolved from Ji blue; ruby ??red, Langyao red, cowpea red, etc. evolved from Ji red.
Various colored glazes will derive new glaze colors. Since the names of various colored glazes are passed down by word of mouth, the folk names are quite mixed. We need to consult more information and then determine its age based on its fetal bones, vessel shape, craftsmanship, and luster. .
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Quality Identification of Ceramic Artworks
It is difficult for ordinary consumers to identify fine ceramic art works due to lack of professional knowledge. However, by using the following methods, it may be possible to identify them. The identification of ceramic artworks is of certain help.
1 The appearance of the appliance must be novel and unique, with elegant color, delicate glaze, and smooth hand feel. In addition to focusing on artistry and decoration, it can also focus on practicality.
2 Look above and below, from inside to outside, to see if there is any deformation, distortion, glaze missing, glaze sticking, porcelain being knocked off or scars. Put the ceramic product on the counter to see if it is stable and whether there is any warping. For items with a mouth and a lid, be sure to test whether the mouth and lid fit properly. Products of the same specification and model should be consistent in size and thickness.
3 Place the porcelain on the counter, on the ground or hold it up with your hands, and flick it a few times. If the sound is crisp and loud, it means it is of good quality and strong. If the sound is abnormal, it means there are cracks, internal injuries or damage. Phenomenon. For large pieces of ceramics, you should also listen to the sounds in different parts.
4 Ceramic artworks with handles and mouth reliefs, such as the "ears" on both sides of the vase, are all secondary molding, that is to say, they are glued to the main body. Therefore, we should carefully observe whether these parts have gaps, lack of glaze, and whether there is a sense of separation. We should pay attention to smooth and natural transitions and no traces of bonding.
5 The patterns on the ceramics or carvings should be complete, unified, clear, and firm. The decorative gold and silver lines outlined should be consistent in thickness, bright and beautiful, and cannot be wiped off even if they are rubbed hard with a handkerchief. Lose. Single-color products should be uniform in color and consistent in color and luster.
6 For complete sets of ceramic ware, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the shape, pattern, and color of each part are consistent, coordinated, and matching. Most regular products have a trademark, place of origin or factory name printed on the bottom or packaging box. At the same time, it also depends on whether the packaging is complete and sturdy, so that it can be carried and transported easily.
my country has a long history of producing ceramics with a wide variety of types. Ceramics from the north and the south have their own characteristics. Black pottery, purple clay pottery and antique ceramics are all distinctive. In short, products with strong artistry, beautiful shapes, smooth lines, unique styles and small production quantities usually have high appreciation and collection value.