The Yuan blue and white peony pattern jar is collected in the Forbidden City

opened up a new era of transition from plain porcelain to color porcelain. It is rich and majestic, bold and colorful, with many painting levels, which is very different from the traditional aesthetic taste of the Chinese nation. It is really a strange flower in the history of Chinese ceramics, and it also makes Jingdezhen the center of the medieval world porcelain making industry.

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Overview of

The body of

The glaze layer of

The blue material of

The shape of

The patterns of

The symbols of

Official kilns and folk kilns of

Key points of identification of

Characteristics of imitation products of

Overview of

The body of

The glaze layer of

The blue material of

The shape of

The patterns of

The symbols of

Official kilns and folk kilns of

Key points of identification of

Characteristics of imitation products of

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Overview of

Yuan blue and white cloud dragon pattern plum vase

In the Yuan Dynasty, with the development of domestic and foreign trade, China's porcelain industry made greater progress than in the Song Dynasty. Jingdezhen kiln successfully fired blue and white porcelain. The widespread emergence and maturity of blue and white porcelain, and the production and sales were prosperous. The Yuan Dynasty Jiang Qi wrote "Tao Ji" (the only book recording the situation of Jingdezhen porcelain industry in the Yuan Dynasty) and recorded: "After the kiln fire is closed, the merchants strive to sell, and the superiors choose it, which is called picking up kilns. During the transaction, the owner of the gang..., transporting the utensils into the river, holding the coupons, and the order is used to rely on the merchant's funding, which is called "not a son."

The blue and white porcelain of Yuan Dynasty is represented by Jingdezhen. It is exquisitely made and has very few passed down from generation to generation, so it is extremely precious. It is roughly divided into three stages: the Zhizheng period and the late Yuan Dynasty, among which "Zhizheng model" is the best.

opened up a new era of transition from plain porcelain to color porcelain. It is rich and majestic, bold and colorful, with many painting levels, which is very different from the traditional aesthetic taste of the Chinese nation. It is really a strange flower in the history of Chinese ceramics, and it also makes Jingdezhen the center of the medieval world porcelain making industry.

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The body of

Yuan blue and white eight-gua pattern tube-shaped incense burner

The materials used in Jingdezhen porcelain have a gradual change process. During the Tang and Five Dynasties, porcelain body was composed of single porcelain stone. From the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, a binary formula of porcelain stone blended with kaolin was invented. Some raw materials reached 20%. The binary formula increased the content of aluminum oxide (AL2O3) in the porcelain body, which could minimize the deformation of the porcelain body under high temperature conditions, ensure the manufacturing of large objects, and at the same time increased the firing temperature and increased the degree of porcelainization. On this basis, Jingdezhen burned huge blue and white instruments, including large plates with a diameter of nearly 60 cm and large bottles with a diameter of up to 70 cm.

The raw materials for porcelain making in the Yuan Dynasty used the "binary formula" of porcelain clay and kaolin. There are two main types of body materials: one is imported blue and white porcelain, with a white body and slightly gray body, which feels heavy and dense and hard; the other is made of domestic earth green material, which has a gray body and a light body feel. Some small blue and white goods at the end of the Yuan Dynasty are yellow in color and are relatively loose, and domestic blue and white materials are used.

From the bottom or section of the residual instrument, it can be observed that the body color is not white enough, the body is thicker and has small pores (or sand holes). Although has added alumina composition to increase the firing temperature, the degree of porcelainization is still not as delicate as that of the Qing Dynasty porcelain. When Yuan porcelain is made, the body mud is not refined enough, and most objects are exposed at the bottom of the body without glaze, and the sand-padding and firing method is used to form the so-called sand after firing.

The edges of the bottom and sand are often covered with sand spots. A small number of objects contain iron in the tire soil, and the exposed tire parts of the objects are sintered to form iron oxide red, commonly known as "flint red". Small objects such as bowls and high-foot cups generally do not see kiln red, large jars, and large bottles. Although the tires are exposed in the lids of large objects such as large objects, they do not see kiln red. Some plates also have lighter iron-red sand bottoms deliberately painted by craftsmen, and there are traces of rotating patterns of wheels.

In the Jingdezhen bottles and jars of the Yuan Dynasty, they were made of segmented tires and then bonded with timber mud. The surface of the bonding tool often protrudes, giving people a sense of unevenness. The marks on the outer wall have been polished, but the marks on the inner wall are still clearly visible. The inner side of the neck of the object is slightly cut, and the inner wall is not cut, so the carcass joints on the bottom, abdomen, mouth, etc. of the instrument are obviously displayed. Generally, the feet of the objects are irregular and bent, which means that the blank is not paid attention to when making tires in the Yuan Dynasty, so the molding process is rough. However, there are also exquisite small objects, and the body looks white and delicate.

The foot cutting method is common to cut the outer wall of the bottom foot end by one incline. The width and thickness of the foot of the large utensil are mostly digging feet, and the foot is deep and shallow. The utensils are not very neat and curved. The utensils are seen in the bottom of the utensil. The bottom of the large bottle and the large jar are relatively thick and sparse, and the cutting marks of the plate and bowl are thinner and denser. The bottom and the inner and outer parts of the utensils are adhered to kiln sand, and some have been melted into the glaze. The high foot of the high foot cup and the cup body are spliced ​​with mud. The yellow or slurry color can be seen at the junction. The thickness of the ring foot at the end of the cup is different. The cover of the sub-buckle is used to form the cap first and then bond it.

The process allows you to clearly see the joint marks on the cover. The bottom carcass of the bowl are thicker, with the inner body exposed inside the foot and the center slightly protruding, commonly known as the "navel", and are actually traces of stretching. A concave dot is often at the center of the bottom of the bottle and can. When firing a large instrument, in order to prevent the bottom collapse, a round cake or circle made of refractory earth is needed to be placed in the center of the bottom or slightly off as a fulcrum. The dots are formed by this. The bottom of the large tank is mostly wide ring feet, irregular, and some have shallow thread marks in the center of the bottom. Generally, large instruments have heavy carcass, but moderate weight, such as overweight or ultra-thin, which are worth considering.

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The glaze layer of

Yuan blue and white branches and peony cloud dragon pattern jar

The use of the binary formula of Yuan blue and white body soil increases the firing temperature, so that the glaze formula can be changed accordingly.

Jingdezhen porcelain glaze has always been made of glaze fruit mixed with glaze ash. Glaze fruit is a kind of porcelain stone with shallow weathering, the main component is limestone, which contains about 90% calcium oxide after calcination. During the Tang and Song dynasties, glaze fruit mixed with glaze ash before Jingdezhen porcelain. Glaze fruit is a kind of porcelain stone with shallow weathering, the main components are silica and aluminum trioxide, and the main components of glaze ash are limestone. In the Yuan Dynasty, glaze fruit components were added to reduce glaze ash components, so that the aluminum trioxide in the glaze layer increased

The addition of calcium oxide decreases, changing the glaze state, so that the glaze layer thickness can be increased and the glaze surface is soft. Use a high-power magnifying glass to observe the glaze layer of some specimens, and large bubbles are scattered in dense mist-like small bubbles without medium bubble transition. There was no such situation in the blue and white glaze and Shufu glaze at the same time. In the early Ming Dynasty, bubbles were also seen in the glaze surface of blue and white porcelain, but large, medium and small bubbles were mixed, and the distribution of the two types of bubbles was different from that of Yuan blue and white. Some objects had orange peel patterns or brown eyes on the glaze surface.

Testing samples from the Song and Yuan Hutian kilns in Jingdezhen found that the calcium oxide content in the Yuan Dynasty decreased from about 15% in the Song Dynasty to 8% to 9%, while the content of potassium and sodium increased from about 3% in the Song Dynasty to about 6%. Changes in composition increased the firing temperature of the glaze and also increased the concentration of the glaze. Due to different firing temperatures, the color rendering of the glaze surface also changed accordingly.

There are three types of glaze surfaces of Yuan blue and white:

(I) Shadow Green Glaze

Also known as blue-white glaze, it is used in blue-white in the early and mid-Yuan period, and is made of domestic blue-white materials. The blue-white glaze of blue-white porcelain in the late Yuan Dynasty is a derivative of shadow blue-white glaze, which is different from the shadow blue-white glaze or blue-white glaze of blue-white in the early and mid-Yuan period. The glaze surface is gray or yellow, the glaze layer has a strong gloss, or it is matte. In addition to the lack of firing technology, it is also related to the high proportion of glaze gray in the glaze layer.

The blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty was decorated with blue and white glaze, which was bright and transparent. The fine skin layer could be seen on the surface of the body. The glaze surface was not smooth and it felt uneven when held by hand. The body glaze was slightly blue and blue, and the body glaze was slightly light blue. In addition to the water-green foot circle, the body glaze often showed a light yellow teeth, and sometimes it looked milky white. Its color rendering will slightly different with the humidity and temperature changes in the air. The blue and white vases and jars of the Yuan Dynasty, and the oblique light will show a slightly off-white silk stripe through the body glaze, which is also called glaze pattern. There are no bubbles on the blue and white under the glaze during the Yuan Dynasty. When the temperature is high, the body glaze will appear dry, but sometimes there will be a slight sweating phenomenon. The color rendering of the glaze during the Yuan Dynasty seems to have a sense of activity.

(II) White glaze

It was used in the Zhizheng period in the middle of the 14th century and imported blue materials were used. The glaze surface was white and green, the glaze color was bright and transparent, smooth and moist, and the glaze accumulated was blue. The glaze color was often flashing, and the glaze surface showed a light water-green. It had just the right transparency, brightness and color, which could better set off the expressiveness of blue and white.

(III) Oval glaze

The blue and white porcelain in the late Yuan Dynasty was used. The glaze layer was emulsified. Domestic blue and green materials were used. Most of them were high-foot cups, bowls, bowls, and small jars. The outer circles of these objects often left finger marks left when immersing glaze. Except for the jade pot spring bottles, the bottom of was generally unglazed. The exposed body at the bottom had glaze spots of different sizes and shapes. There was a circle of glaze marks of different widths and narrowness near the bottom of the high-foot cup. The inner edge of the plum bottle and other thin body bottles were plain. The inner wall of the large jar was glazed by glaze swinging. The inner body on the lid of the vessel was shallow yellow, with fine glaze spots.

The glaze surface of the Yuan blue and white vessel is basically flat. The glaze surface of the large carved vessel is slightly raised at the bonding point of the body. The glaze thickness at the mouth of the vessel is uneven, and the glaze is dark and the glaze is dark. From the residual vessel, the abdomen below the neck of the bottle, the bottom of the jar or the high-foot cup, and the feet of the bowl are often glaze spots. Each glaze spot appears light-colored red flint edges around or on the feet and shrinking glaze. Some of the mouths of the vessel have burrs (i.e., small bubbles cracked). Some glaze surfaces on the surface of the vessel have glaze shrinkage, which is not serious, and are a few phenomena. The glaze surface feels as warm as jade, and the light feels soft and not dazzling. If it is too bright or has strong bright spots, it is worth considering.

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The blue material of

Yuan blue and white flower pattern tripod

is generally divided into two colors, one is gray-blue and lighter, and the other is dark blue and more colorful. In the traditional concept, those with gray-blue color are domestic materials, and those with blue-blue color are imported materials. Imported blue materials are used on large, medium-sized or small , and domestic cobalt materials are only used in medium-sized and small-sized containers.

(I) Imported cobalt material

Imported cobalt materials, namely Sumaliqing, the components of imported cobalt materials in the Yuan Dynasty were low manganese, high-iron, sulfur and arsenic, no copper and nickel, and the compositions of blue and white materials in Tang and Song dynasties and blue and white materials in Ming dynasties were different. The blue and white patterns painted were bright and deep, and had spots of purple-brown or dark-brown, and some dark-brown spots showed "tin light". "tin light" was a natural luster that appeared in the black-brown spots and had a concave and convex feeling, which was due to the changes in the blue and white materials when melted with the glaze during the high-temperature firing process. "tin light" also appeared in modern imitation Yuan blue and white, but the "tin light" of the imitation seemed to be a silver-gray piece applied to the blue and black spots, and some spots were denser, giving people a sense of stiffness.

In addition, Sumaliqing has the following characteristics:

1. It is a bright indigo cyan color, slightly containing purple of different degrees, and some are very elegant violet.

2. There are thick and light color levels, the outlines are darker, and the colored blue material is lighter. There are blue-black or blue-brown spots at the accumulation of blue material, and the glaze is concave and matte.

3. The green material is finer and even, and the edges of the lines are slightly dizzy. Some are thick in color and radially dispersed. Blue-black crystals or crystalline lines are seen, which should be caused by coarse green material particles. Similar phenomena were also found in Yongle and Xuande blue and white porcelain in the early Ming Dynasty.

(II) Domestic greens

The domestic blue and white materials used in Yuan blue and white are composed of high manganese and high alumina, which is very different from the imported materials at the same time. The blue and white patterns depicted are blue-gray or blue-black, with thick and light color levels. There are blue-brown or yellow-brown spots at the accumulation of blue materials, and there are fewer black-brown spots. For example, when the manganese content is too high, the blue and white patterns are slightly red in the blue, and the glaze surface is concave and matte.

Whether it is domestic or imported materials, the color tone of the blue and white patterns on the overall picture varies from depth to shade due to the kiln temperature, but when viewed with a magnifying glass, it gives people a sense of clearness and depth. When you look closely at the blue and white colors, it is "live" and has a vivid "flowing shape" in the rich and bright places.

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The shape of

Yuan blue and white sea water white dragon pattern plum vase

The shape of is unique. From the perspective of production technology, there were huge and thick bodies, such as large jars, large bottles, large plates, large bowls, etc. However, there were also fine works, such as high-foot bowls, high-foot cups, turquoise cups, turquoise plates, etc. In the Yuan Dynasty society, blue and white porcelain had not yet become a necessity for the palace or people's daily life. In addition to wine utensils and bright utensils, the main products were exported to the outside world. Therefore, the shape of had certain special characteristics. The reason was to meet the needs of users of different regions and different living habits. For example, large jars, large bottles,

Large plates and large bowls are large dietary utensils specially produced to adapt to the habit of Muslims sitting on the ground and eating together in Islamic countries. Small utensils produced in the Yuan Dynasty, such as small jars, small bottles, and small pots, were mostly sold to the Philippines. According to archaeological data, many small s were exported goods made to meet the needs of Southeast Asians' burial. In addition to exporting, Yuan blue and white producers also produced small and medium-sized bottles, furnaces, Bishan, Gaozu bowls, and seats in order to meet the social customs of the Yuan Dynasty. Generally, they can be combined into five categories.

Cans: Large jars, including three types: high, short, and octagonal shape, and the lid can usually be as high as 60 cm. Small jars include quadrilateral square, slanted double melon ridge, lip double bulb belly, lip double bulb shoulder round belly, etc. The body height is generally 7 to 8 cm; there are also drum-shaped lid jars. Eight-shaped lid jars are innovative varieties of Yuanshi.

Bottles: plum bottles, jade pot spring bottles, garlic bottles, beast ear bottles, halberd ear bottles, and four-series flat bottles and tower-type cap bottles with rich era characteristics. Among them, plum bottles and jade pot spring bottles are more common. Plum bottles are attached with a cap and there is a tube-shaped sub-mouth inside the cap, which is firmly wrapped with the bottle mouth.

Pots: There are three main types that are found in the records, namely Fengliu pot, pear-style pot, and pickled pot, all of which are exquisitely made.

There are roughly two types of bowls: one is a high-foot bowl (with open mouth and tight mouth), and the other is a large bowl with a diameter of more than 40 cm. The high-foot cup is small in size, with a height of only about 10 cm, and is also known as a target cup. The diameter of a large bowl is generally more than 30 cm.

Disk type: There are large plates (diameter above 45 cm), medium plates (diameter is generally about 30 cm), and small plates (diameter about 15 cm). Folding edges are more common.

In addition, there are cauldrons, water bowls, incense burners, Guanyin, etc., among which the five shapes are the high-foot cups, jade pots, spring bottles, jars, plum bottles and large plates.

In short, the shape of includes both magnificent and majestic instruments and beautiful and clever small instruments. No matter what shape the instrument is, it has beautiful shapes and is simple and dignified.

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The patterns of

Yuan blue and white flying phoenix unicorn pattern plate

The potters in Jingdezhen in the Yuan Dynasty further innovated on the basis of inheriting the achievements of porcelain making in the Tang and Song dynasties, making up for the shortcomings of rough craftsmanship in the body, making the more exquisite.

(I) Decorative Techniques

Blue and white are combined with various techniques such as carving, printing, porcelain sculpture, and bas relief. Painting fully exerts the artistic effect of blue and white, including white ground blue and white, blue and white flowers, or blue and white lines as the ground styles. When decorating, craftsmen adopt different techniques in combination with different instrument types. Some use two, three methods to cooperate or several methods to concentrate on one. The engraving lines are rough and powerful, the printed lines are round and durable, and the bas relief effect has a strong three-dimensional sense. In addition, it should be noted that the Yuan blue and white pattern painting methods are mainly flat painting, combined with outline, brushing, dot, and dyeing techniques, and the lines are vigorous and powerful, showing the superb painting skills of Yuan Dynasty craftsmen.

(II) Composition method

It can be roughly divided into two categories: fullness and sparseness.
To be continued...