What are the characteristics of blue and white porcelain in Yuan Dynasty?
Genghis Khan established the Mongolian khanate in 126. In 1271, Kublai Khan changed the title of the country to "Dayuan", taking the meaning of "Daizai Ganyuan" in the Book of Changes. Unified the whole country in 1279. Porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty obviously has the unique style of grassland people, and many unique types of Mongolian utensils have been newly burned in the shape of porcelain utensils. Its monochrome glaze is also more exquisite than the previous generation. The official residence was set up to manage the firing of porcelain, and the white porcelain fired by the official residence was sweet and white glaze, which was called "official residence porcelain" by later generations. Moreover, at this time, foreign trade and cultural exchanges between China and the West were frequent, and a large number of porcelains began to be burned for export. White glaze, also known as egg white glaze, is a kind of high-temperature glaze newly produced by Jingdezhen kiln in Yuan Dynasty on the basis of producing blue-and-white glazed porcelain. This kind of porcelain is extremely thin and firm, and its carcass is thick. The trace iron in the glaze is the main reason why the glaze color is white and blue, which is similar to the color of goose eggs.
The number of white glazed porcelain in Yuan Dynasty was small, but it was well-made. The most common shapes are plates, bowls and Gao Zuwan, and the decorative techniques are mainly printing, supplemented by depicting flowers. The inner walls of plates and bowls are often printed with flowers wrapped in branches, such as Yunlong, Yunfeng, Yunhe, flowers and birds, and lotus flowers wrapped in branches. Some objects are stamped with official inscriptions or auspicious words between patterns, among which the most common is the inscription of "the official residence". Therefore, people sometimes call egg white glazed porcelain "the official residence porcelain".
For example, the egg white glaze printed "Tai Xi" inscription Yunlong pattern plate is 2.3cm high, 17.8cm in caliber and 11.4cm in foot diameter. Open disk, shallow arc wall, full circle. The fetal bones are firm, thin and white, glazed inside and outside. The glaze layer is thick and opaque. The glaze surface is bright and moist, and the glaze color is white and blue, just like the color of goose eggs. There is no glaze in the foot.
The outer wall of the disc depicts a deformed lotus petal pattern for one week, with ***16 petals, and a chord pattern is drawn at the tip of the lotus petal pattern. The dish is decorated with positive prints, and the center of the dish is a Yi Long pearl, a dragon, and five claws with open mouth and bared teeth. The body is dancing and abnormal, and it is lined with clouds and fire beads. The inner wall of the dish is the eight auspicious patterns of the lotus root, and the word "Tai Xi" is symmetrically printed among the flowers. The order of eight auspiciousness is "intestine, snail, wheel, lid, flower, pearl, fish and umbrella" from the word "Tai" to the left in the counterclockwise direction.
Blue glazed porcelain is a new variety created and burned in Jingdezhen in Yuan Dynasty. It is made of cobalt blue as colorant and fired at high temperature once. In the Yuan Dynasty, some blue glazed porcelains were plain, some were decorated with carved white patterns, and some were painted with gold colors.
For example, in Baoding, Hebei Province, the moire card of gold-painted flowers with yuan blue glaze is 4.5cm in height, 17cm in flow length and 8.5cm in bottom diameter. Moo open, shallow arc belly, flat bottom. There is a trough-shaped flow at one side of the mouth, and a small system is placed under the flow. The fetus is thin. Blue glaze is applied inside and outside, and the glaze is thick and uneven. The mouth edge and outsole are unglazed. The inner bottom is painted with a gold thread circle, and the inner mural is painted with 5 golden auspicious clouds.
The shape of the device is similar to that of a bronze card, and the blue glaze is shining like sapphire blue, with glittering gold color. At the same time, small cups and plates painted with blue glaze were also found. This golden pattern is undamaged and as bright as new, which is really rare.
Red glazed porcelain is an innovative variety of Jingdezhen in Yuan Dynasty, which is fired with copper red as colorant at high temperature in reducing atmosphere. Because the firing technology of copper red is more difficult to master than cobalt blue, there are very few finished products, only a few are found in the ruins of the Yuan Dynasty, and only small utensils such as plates, bowls and Yin He are unearthed.
The pot with dark carved cloud dragon pattern in Ruyuan red glaze is 12.5cm in height, 3.5cm in caliber and 5.3cm in foot diameter. The pot body is pear-shaped, with a straight mouth, and gradually becomes a drooping round belly below the mouth. One side of the belly is provided with a curved flow, and the other side is provided with a crank, and the circle foot is high and slightly outward.
an umbrella-shaped lid is attached, with a beaded button at the top, and a small ring system at one side of the lid and along the outer side of the spout, so as to facilitate the tether connection and prevent the lid from falling off. The whole body is covered with red glaze, and the abdomen is secretly engraved with five claws and dragons. This pot has even glaze and bright glaze color, which is a treasure in red glazed porcelain in Yuan Dynasty. The body of the pot has a dragon pattern with a thin neck and a long mouth, which is vivid in shape and has distinct characteristics of the times.
Pear-shaped pot is a new model of Jingdezhen kiln in Yuan Dynasty. This kind of pot is small and compact, and it is mainly used for dining tables.
The underglaze painted porcelain "blue and white" in the Yuan Dynasty is the most important role of ancient porcelain. It uses cobalt material to paint decorative patterns on a white blank, then covers it with transparent glaze, and then burns the white blue and white porcelain at a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. The decorative pattern burned without glaze is black.
Blue-and-white porcelain wares of the Yuan Dynasty can be roughly divided into two categories: small wares and large wares. Small wares are light and thin, not very fine, mostly blue-and-white, milky-white, translucent or shadow-green glaze. Blue-and-white wares are dark and hazy in color, with sparse patterns but unrestrained and free and easy, and some can be said to be quite sloppy. All cobalt materials contain high manganese and low iron, which are the same as domestic cobalt minerals and should be painted by domestic cobalt materials.
The common utensils are cups, bowls, plates, mugs, incense burners, small pots, garlic bottles, jade pot spring bottles, etc. Most of these are daily necessities, and the production of such blue-and-white porcelain was limited at that time, and most of them belonged to civil porcelain.
For example, Yuan Qinghua Phoenix wears a peony-patterned pot, with a height of 23.5 cm, a caliber of 4.7 cm and a foot diameter of 7.3 cm. The pot has a straight mouth, spreading gradually under the mouth, thick neck, hanging abdomen, restrained abdomen, and slightly curled feet.
On one side of the abdomen, there is a long curved flow with thin bottom and thick bottom, and the flow is painted with fire moire. On the other side, there is a crank, and there is a small series at the upper end. The handle is painted with silver ingots, Baochai and other decorations. Attached to the flat top cover, there is a round bead button, and the cover is painted with chrysanthemum petals. White glaze is applied in the circle foot, and there is no money. The body of the vessel is decorated with blue and white patterns under the blue and white glaze, and both sides of the abdomen are painted with phoenix-wearing flowers, with fire beads and bamboo stones between them.
this pot is full of dense patterns, but the main pattern is prominent, complicated but not chaotic. Blue-and-white porcelain is a rare masterpiece in the Yuan Dynasty.
This shape is derived from the bronzes used by Arab nationalities, and it is a popular style of porcelain in Yuan Dynasty. Besides blue and white wares, there are also green glazed products from Longquan kiln. When Yuan Dynasty porcelain draws lessons from this shape, it pays special attention to the bold and unconstrained style of Mongolian bronze pots.
Another example is the blue-and-white flying phoenix unicorn pattern plate, which is 7.9 cm high, 46.1 cm in diameter and 26.1 cm in foot diameter. The edge of the disk is folded, the diamond-shaped mouth is open, and the center of the disk is flat. Green and white glaze is applied to the whole body, and the plain tire is unglazed. Inside and outside the dish, there are many layers of blue and white patterns. On the folding edge, the grass pattern is painted, and the white peony pattern is highlighted on the blue-and-white net pattern on the inner wall. The edge of the disc center is surrounded by grass pattern, and the blue-and-white ground in the center sets off Kirin and Xiangfeng, and the space is lined with white lotus flowers and clouds. The outer wall of the dish is painted with a lotus pattern.
the blue and white color of this device is pure and the composition is rigorous. The decorative pattern on the center of the dish means "Weifeng Xianglin" to show the harmony between heaven and earth. There are two forms of blue-and-white porcelain decoration in the Yuan Dynasty: one is to directly depict the decorative patterns on the white carcass with blue-and-white materials. The other is to use blue and white as the ground to set off the white pattern. For example, the blue-and-white mandarin duck lotus flower mouth plate, or "Manchi Jiao", is 7.3 cm high, 46.4 cm in diameter and 29.8 cm in foot diameter. 16-petal rhombic mouth, folded edge, shallow arc wall, full circle, blue and white decoration inside and outside.
The insole depicts two mandarin ducks swimming in the lotus pond. One mandarin duck and the other mandarin duck are looking around for love. The inner and outer walls are painted with tangled lotus patterns, and there are 6 blooming lotus flowers on the stems. Draw a diamond brocade on the hem. There is no glaze in the ring foot and the inner wall is beveled.
The theme decoration on this dish is the lotus pond mandarin duck picture painted on the insole, which is a common decorative theme on blue and white porcelain in Yuan Dynasty. Some only painted lotus ponds, some painted birds in lotus ponds, mostly painted on the inner bottoms of large plates and bowls, and some painted on the outer walls of octagonal tanks.
There is also a kind of blue-and-white porcelain, which is mostly large-sized objects. Its * * * is characterized by its heavy carcass, white and dense color, clear glaze with blue in white, rich and bright blue-and-white color, dark brown spots in dense color, and many decorative layers, some even as many as ten layers.
The painting is very dense, but it is complicated but not chaotic. There is a week gap between layers, and there is no gap between the two layers at the bottom of the vessel. There is no relationship between the decorative contents of each layer. For example, there are often clouds and phoenix, miscellaneous treasures, sea water and teeth mixed between branches-bound chrysanthemums, banana leaves, branches-bound lotus and branches-bound peonies, and unrelated decorative patterns are combined on one vessel.
For example, a large wine vessel, Yuan Qinghua sea water white dragon pattern octagonal plum bottle, is 46.1 cm high, 6.2 cm in diameter and 13.4 cm in foot diameter. Plum bottles have thick fetal bones, a flat mouth and a short neck. The bottle is slender and has eight edges.
The shoulder is decorated with a checkered brocade pattern, with a round cloud head pattern under the brocade pattern, and a peony pattern painted inside. Four white dragons are painted around the middle of the bottle, lined with blue and white sea water and flame patterns, and a round cloud head pattern near the foot, with peony leaves painted inside.
Buddhist scriptures say that Datura begins in the east and ends in the northwest, always in all directions, which means that Buddhism spreads all over the surrounding areas. The Yuan court worshiped Taoism and believed in Buddhism, and it was decorated with dragon patterns, which implied that the emperor would strengthen the world.
The fetal bone is fine and white, the enamel is moist and bright, and the blue and white color is rich. It embodies the characteristics of large-scale blue-and-white porcelain in Yuan Dynasty, such as huge and plump shape, dense ornamentation, rich levels and rigorous composition. It has changed the tradition of simple pattern layout of porcelain since Tang and Song Dynasties, and formed a colorful artistic style with meticulous description and complicated levels.
The huge blue-and-white cloud patterns on the shoulder and near the foot borrowed from the patterns of silk shawls in Yuan Dynasty, and the appearance of dragon patterns was also the characteristic of porcelain decorative art in this period.
Plum bottles are not only pleasant and beautiful in decorative patterns, but also clean and moist in white glaze, with appropriate shades of blue and white materials, bright and beautiful hair color, and rich in layering. In addition, the vigorous brushwork of rubbing and painting porcelain makes the picture have the beauty of painters, and the whole body exudes the luster of beautiful utensils.
in the Ming dynasty, plum bottles became funerary objects of high-grade tombs, which had the function of warding off evil spirits. In addition to being a symbol of status, there are also geomantic considerations, and you must not "enjoy" this funerary object unless you are a royal official.
For example, the plum vase of Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moon, which was found in Muying Tomb of Guanyinshan, Dongshanqiao Township, Jiangning County, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is the representative porcelain of Jingdezhen Kiln in Yuan Dynasty. The vase has extremely unique blue-and-white ornamentation, which reflects a very high firing level, and is called one of the "three wonders of China porcelain".
The blue-and-white plum vase in Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moon is 44.1cm high, with a bottom diameter of 13cm and a caliber of only 5.5cm.. Small mouth, inclined abdomen, gathered shin, flat bottom, beautiful shape, round and smooth lines, elegant and elegant, giving people a dignified aesthetic feeling. The story of "Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon" is engraved on the shoulder and abdomen, and the blue and white patterns painted on the porcelain bottle are diverse and unique.
This plum vase is painted with various blue and white ornamentation. Although the ornamentation levels are diverse, the passionflower, miscellaneous treasure, deformed lotus petal pattern, and beaded pattern decorated from top to bottom all serve Xiao He's main ornamentation of chasing Han Xin under the moon, thus making the whole utensil seamless and the theme distinct.
The picture of this porcelain was placed in the belly of the plum bottle, occupying a major position. The whole object is dignified and steady in shape, with white and dense fetal quality, and the blue and white hair color is green and rich, and the vivid expression of the characters painted in the bottle is particularly wonderful: Xiao He's anxiety when riding wildly, his hesitation in watching by the Han Xin River, and the old ferryman's expectation of standing with an oar are all vividly displayed. The blank space is lined with pines, bamboos and rocks, which is patchwork.
The underglaze red in blue and white is a kind of white ground safflower porcelain which is painted with copper oxide on the blank, covered with transparent glaze and burned at a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. Blue-and-white and underglaze red are basically the same in production technology, painting method and firing process except that all painting materials are different and the finished products have different effects.
However, the firing atmosphere of underglaze red is stricter than that of blue and white, and it is more difficult to master. Like blue and white porcelain in Yuan Dynasty, underglaze red porcelain has the characteristics of fine, firm, white, white and shiny glaze.
Most of the decorative patterns are twining chrysanthemum, peony, lotus, Yunlong, Yunfeng, Yunhe, peacock, Luyan, story of characters, etc., and most of the edge decorations are variant lotus petals, cloud shoulders, Ganoderma lucidum clouds, banana leaves, palindromes, chords, etc.
Most of the vessels are big pots, Gao Zubei, moo, jade pot spring bottles, tower pots, barns, large plates, bowls, porcelain figures and so on.
For example, in Baoding City, Hebei Province, the blue-and-white underglaze red carved cover jar hoarded in Yuan Dynasty is 41cm high, 15.5cm in caliber and 18.5cm in foot diameter. The jar has a straight mouth, a short neck, a smooth shoulder, a bulging belly and a full circle, and the sand bottom is unglazed. Umbrella cover with lion button. The carcass is thin on the top and thick on the bottom, and the tire quality is delicate.
the blue and white color of this jar is rich, and the red in the glaze is slightly dark. Full-bodied blue-and-white underglaze red ornamentation. The jar cover is painted with blue and white lotus petal pattern, grass scroll pattern and palindrome pattern for one week each. Draw a blue-and-white twig-bound pattern and a grass-rolled pattern near the mouth edge of the can body.
the shoulders are painted with drooping clouds, blue and white water ripples are painted in the clouds, and peony patterns are painted between the clouds. Double diamond-shaped beads are piled on all sides of the abdomen, and the four seasons landscapes such as rocks, peony and chrysanthemum are carved in the opening. The rocks and flowers are painted in red in glaze, and the flowers and leaves are painted in blue and white, which has a relief effect. The lower part of the abdomen is decorated with blue-and-white folded lotus flowers, which corresponds to the cloud head pattern on the shoulder. Draw a scroll grass pattern and a deformed lotus petal pattern near the bottom, and draw an inverted treasure flower pattern in the lotus petal pattern.
This jar is full and vigorous in shape, with distinct decorative layers, which combines various techniques such as painting, carving, plastic, pasting, etc., especially the carving decoration is rare in Yuan porcelain. Blue and white and underglaze red set off each other in the works, and red and blue complement each other, forming a graceful and colorful artistic effect as a whole.
Yuhu Spring Bottle is a common type of Jingdezhen porcelain in Yuan Dynasty, and its varieties include red inside glaze, blue and white, blue and white glaze, peacock green glaze blue and white and so on. For example, the glazed red carved rabbit jade pot spring bottle is 2.5 cm high, 6.3 cm in diameter and 6.8 cm in foot diameter. The bottle is curled, the neck is thin, the abdomen is drooping, and the foot is circled. Apply green and white glaze all over.
There are four hidden chords on the shoulder and the largest belly diameter. The upper abdomen depicts a rabbit running between flowers and plants, and the rabbit looks back and waits, with the glaze red as the finishing touch. The depiction technique is skillful, the blade is sharp and free, the lines are smooth and natural, and the image is vivid. The blank of the pattern is painted with underglaze red at will to form red and white flowers, which enhances the artistic effect of the pattern. The inner mouth of the bottle is painted with glaze red.
Small utensils are like glazed red tumblers, with a height of 1 cm, a diameter of 7.7 cm and a foot diameter of 3.8 cm. The cup is open-mouthed, deep-bellied, thin-bottomed, and the bottom is hollow bamboo-like high feet. Apply green and white glaze all over. The cup body is painted with 3 pieces of red spots in the glaze, and a small circle system is placed. The bottom of the cup is connected with the tenon high enough to rotate freely without disengaging.
The decorative plaque in this cup has bright hair color and looks as beautiful as sunset glow, which is really a rare treasure. The cup foot that can be rotated at will increases its enjoyment.
In addition, there are Jizhou Kiln and Yuxi Kiln in other places in Yuan Dynasty.
The decoration technique of Jizhou kiln with black flowers on white ground originated from the northern Cizhou kiln, but it also has its own characteristics. Its white ground is yellow and the black flowers are brown, and the contrast between the background color and the decorative color is not as strong as that of the white ground black flower porcelain in Cizhou kiln.
For example, the grass-patterned pot with black flower rolls in Baidi of Yuanzhou Kiln is 6.5cm in height, 5.5cm in caliber and 6cm in foot diameter. Tank with straight mouth and flat bottom, with embedded lid. The outer wall is decorated with white and black colors, and the theme pattern is tangled grass pattern, and the cover is decorated with a broken flower pattern. This pot is small, and < P > it is a cricket pot. The pattern is simple and smooth, natural and generous.
The blue-and-white style of Yuxi kiln is obviously different from that of Jingdezhen. The blue-and-white ware of Yuxi kiln has crisp embryo, yellow glaze color, dark blue-and-white tone and strong glazed glass texture.
In the Yuan Dynasty cremation tomb in Lufeng, Yunnan Province, a blue and white jade pot spring bottle was found in Yuxi kiln, with a height of 25.6 cm, a caliber of 6.7 cm and a foot diameter of 9.5 cm. The bottle is curled, the neck is thin, the abdomen is drooping, and the foot is circled. The whole body is painted with green yellow glaze, and the outer wall is painted with banana leaves, lotus petals and fish algae patterns in blue and white.
Although the blue-and-white color of this bottle is not as good as Jingdezhen blue-and-white, the painting technique is natural and smooth, and a few strokes will make the decorative patterns lively, which has a certain artistic effect, fully reflecting the superb technological level and superb techniques of porcelain making in China's border areas in the Yuan Dynasty.