Porcelain Sculpture: The Art of the Kiln

The kilns of China have produced the finest ceramics in the world for over two thousand years. Chinese pottery (陶器, táoqì) and porcelain (瓷器, cíqì) encompass everything from the coarse earthenware of Neolithic farmers to the translucent porcelains of the Qing court that were so fine they were called 'thin as paper, white as jade, bright as a mirror, resonant as a bell.'

The First Chinese Pottery

The earliest Chinese pottery dates to the Paleolithic period, but the first great ceramic tradition was the Yangshao culture (c. 5000-3000 BCE), which produced painted pottery with distinctive geometric patterns.

The Invention of Porcelain

True porcelain was developed in China during the Tang dynasty and perfected during the Song. Porcelain requires kaolin clay fired at extremely high temperatures (1200-1400 C). The result is a hard, white, translucent body that is impervious to water.

Jingdezhen: The Porcelain Capital

Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province became the center of Chinese porcelain production during the Ming dynasty. It employed over 100,000 workers and produced millions of pieces for the court, the domestic market, and export.

Blue and White Porcelain

The most famous Chinese ceramic type is blue-and-white (青花, qīnghuā), produced from the Yuan dynasty onward. Cobalt blue pigment was painted onto the unfired porcelain body, which was then covered with a clear glaze and fired.

The Six Great Kilns of Song China

The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the golden age of Chinese ceramics, when five (or six) great kilns produced the wares that set the standard for all later Chinese pottery. These were the Ru, Guan, Ge, Ding, and Jun kilns, with the Ru kiln being the most highly prized. Ru ware was produced for only about 40 years (from 1086 to 1127), and fewer than 100 complete pieces survive today.

Each kiln had its distinctive style: Ru produced a pale blue-green celadon with subtle crackle; Guan was a darker celadon with a thick glaze; Ge was known for its dramatic crackle patterns; Ding produced white porcelain with carved or molded decoration; and Jun created blue and purple glazes that were the most colorful of the Song wares.

The Blue-and-White Revolution

The development of blue-and-white porcelain (青花, qīnghuā) in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) was the most important innovation in Chinese ceramics after the invention of porcelain itself. Cobalt blue pigment — imported from Persia — was painted onto the unfired porcelain body, then covered with a clear glaze and fired at high temperature. The cobalt withstood the high firing temperature, producing a brilliant blue that was permanent and vivid.

Blue-and-white porcelain was designed partly for the export market — the Islamic world prized blue-and-white, and the Yuan dynasty, with its Mongol rulers, had strong connections to the Middle East. The combination of Chinese porcelain with Persian cobalt was a global collaboration that produced one of the world's most enduring ceramic traditions.

The Techniques of Decoration

Chinese ceramics were decorated using many techniques. Underglaze decoration — painting on the unfired, unglazed body before glazing — was used for blue-and-white and underglaze red. Overglaze enamels — painted onto the already-fired glaze and refired at lower temperature — allowed many more colors, including the 'famille rose' (粉彩, fěncǎi) palette of pinks, greens, and yellows.

Carved decoration was cut into the leather-hard clay before firing. Incised decoration used fine lines scratched into the surface. Molded decoration used a stamp or mold to press patterns into the clay. Each technique required different skills and produced different effects.