What are the characteristics of the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty?
In 1206, Genghis Khan established the Mongol Khanate. In 1271, Kublai Khan changed the name of the country to "Dayuan", taking the meaning of "Great Qianyuan" in the "Book of Changes". Unified the country in 1279. The porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty obviously has the unique style of the grassland people, and many unique types of Mongolian utensils were newly created and burned in the shapes of the porcelain. Its single-color glaze is also more exquisite than its predecessors. A Privy Council was also established to manage the firing of porcelain. The white porcelain produced by the Privy Council had a sweet white glaze, and was called "Privy Council Porcelain" by later generations. Moreover, at this time, foreign trade and cultural exchanges between China and the West were frequent, and a large amount of porcelain began to be fired for export. White glaze, also known as egg white glaze, is a new high-temperature glaze fired by Jingdezhen kilns in the Yuan Dynasty based on the production of blue and white glazed porcelain. The porcelain body of this type of porcelain is extremely fine and white, solid, and the body is thick. The glaze contains trace amounts of Iron is the main reason why the glaze is white with green flashes, which looks like a goose egg.
The number of white glazed porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty was not large, but the production was fine. The most common shapes are plates, bowls, and tall bowls, and the decorative techniques are mainly printing, supplemented by carved flowers. The inner walls of plates and bowls are often printed horizontally with intertwining flowers or dragons, phoenixes, cranes, flowers and birds, lotus intertwining with eight auspicious symbols, etc. Some utensils have official inscriptions or auspicious characters stenciled between the patterns, the most common of which is "Privy" inscription, therefore, sometimes people also call egg white glazed porcelain "Privy's porcelain".
For example, the egg white glaze printed "Tai Xi" inscribed cloud and dragon pattern plate is 2.3 cm high, 17.8 cm in diameter, and 11.4 cm in foot diameter. The plate is open, with shallow arc walls and circle feet. The fetal bones are firm, fine and white, and are glazed inside and out. The glaze layer is thick and devitrified. The glaze surface is shiny and white, with a bluish tint, just like the color of goose eggs. There is no glaze inside the feet.
The outer wall of the disk is engraved with a deformed lotus petal pattern for a week, with 16 petals in total, and a string pattern is drawn at the tip of the lotus petal pattern. The inside of the plate is decorated with Yang pattern printing. In the center of the plate is a dragon playing with a pearl. The dragon opens its mouth and shows teeth and five claws. Its body dances with extraordinary force, lined with clouds and fire beads. The inner wall of the plate is decorated with eight auspicious patterns on the lotus branches, and the word "Tai Xi" is printed symmetrically between the flowers. The order of the eight auspicious signs in the counterclockwise direction from the word "Tai" to the left is "intestine, snail, wheel, lid, flower, bead, fish, and umbrella".
Blue glazed porcelain is a new variety created in Jingdezhen in the Yuan Dynasty. It uses cobalt blue as colorant and is fired at high temperature. Some of the blue-glazed porcelains of the Yuan Dynasty are plain and without patterns, some are decorated with carved white patterns, and some are painted with gold.
For example, the Yuan blue glaze in a cellar in Baoding, Hebei, is painted with gold folding branches, flowers and cloud patterns. It is 4.5 cm high, 17 cm long, and 8.5 cm in base diameter. Open mouth, shallow arc belly, flat bottom. There is a trough-shaped flow on one side of the mouth, and a small system is placed under the flow. The tire is thin. Blue glaze is applied inside and outside, and the glaze is thick and uneven. The edges and outsole are unglazed. The inner bottom is painted with gold coils and painted with gold colored branch patterns, and there are five gold colored auspicious clouds painted on the inner bottom.
The shape of the vessel imitates a bronze rim, with blue glaze shining with sapphire-like luster and sparkling gold. Also discovered were a small cup and plate painted with blue glaze and gold. This golden pattern is not damaged at all and is as bright as new, which is really rare.
Red glazed porcelain is an innovative variety in Jingdezhen in the Yuan Dynasty. It is fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere using copper red as a colorant. Because the firing technique of copper red is more difficult to master than that of cobalt blue, there are very few finished products. Only a small amount has been found at Dadu ruins in the Yuan Dynasty. Only small items such as plates, bowls, and printing boxes have been unearthed.
Ruyu Yuan red glaze teapot with dark engraved cloud and dragon patterns, 12.5 cm high, 3.5 cm in diameter, and 5.3 cm in foot diameter. The body of the pot is pear-shaped, with a straight mouth. Below the mouth, it gradually becomes plump and round to form a drooping round belly. There is a curved flow on one side of the belly and a crank on the other side. The round foot is higher and slightly outward, without any style.
It comes with an umbrella-shaped lid with a bead-shaped button on the top. A small ring is placed on one side of the lid and along the outside of the mouth of the pot to connect the tether and prevent the lid from falling off. The whole body is covered with red glaze, and the belly is engraved with a five-clawed cloud dragon pattern. This pot has a uniform glaze and bright glaze color. It is a treasure among the red-glazed porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty. The dragon pattern on the body of the pot, the thin neck and the long mouth, are vivid in shape and have distinctive characteristics of the times.
The pear-shaped pot is a new shape created by the Jingdezhen kiln in the Yuan Dynasty. This kind of pot is small and mainly used on the dining table.
The "blue and white" underglaze painted porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty is the most important role of ancient porcelain. It uses cobalt material to paint patterns on a white body and then covers it with a transparent glaze. It is fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. Porcelain with blue flowers on white ground. The decoration when fired without glaze is black.
The blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty can be roughly divided into two categories: small pieces and large pieces. The small pieces are light and thin, not very fine, and are mostly bluish white, milky white, translucent or shadow celadon glaze. The color of the blue and white porcelain is gray. It is misty, with sparse but unrestrained patterns, and some can be said to be quite sloppy. All cobalt materials contain high manganese content and low iron content. They have the same characteristics as domestic cobalt earth minerals, so they should be painted with domestic cobalt materials.
Common utensils include cups, bowls, plates, incense burners, small jars, garlic bottles, jade pots and spring vases, etc. Most of these are daily necessities, and the production quantity of this type of blue and white porcelain was limited at that time. Most of them are civilian porcelain.
For example, the Yuan blue and white phoenix with peony pattern holds the ewer, with a height of 23.5 cm, a diameter of 4.7 cm, and a full diameter of 7.3 cm. The pot has a straight mouth, gradually spreading below the mouth, a thick neck, a drooping abdomen, the lower abdomen is introverted, and the ring foot is slightly outward.
On one side of the abdomen, there is a long curved stream that is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, with fire cloud patterns painted on the stream. There is a crank handle on the other side, with a small tie on the upper end. The handle is painted with silver ingots, treasure hairpins and other patterns. Attached is a flat top cover with round bead buttons and a chrysanthemum petal pattern on the cover. The inside of the circle foot is covered with white glaze, without markings. The body of the vessel is fully decorated with blue and white patterns under the blue and white glaze, and both sides of the belly are painted with phoenixes intertwining branches and flowers, with fire beads, clouds, and bamboo and stone patterns in between.
The whole body of this pot is full of dense patterns, and the main body patterns are prominent, complex but not chaotic. The blue and white porcelain is rich and bright in color and is a rare masterpiece among the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty handed down from generation to generation.
The shape of this vessel is derived from the bronze wares used by the Arab people. It is a popular style of porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to blue and white wares, there are also Longquan kiln celadon glaze products. When the porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty borrowed this shape, Special attention was paid to absorbing the rough and bold style characteristics of Mongolian national copper pots.
Another example is the blue and white flying phoenix and unicorn pattern plate, which is 7.9 cm high, 46.1 cm in diameter and 26.1 cm in foot diameter. The plate has a folded rim, a diamond-shaped mouth, and a flat center. The whole body is covered with green and white glaze, and the base is plain without glaze. The inside and outside of the plate are painted with multiple layers of blue and white patterns. The folded edge is painted with a curly grass pattern, and the inner wall has a blue and white net pattern with a white intertwining peony pattern. The edge of the plate is surrounded by a curly grass pattern. The central blue and white ground highlights a unicorn and a flying phoenix. The space is lined with white lotus and cloud patterns. . The outer wall of the plate is painted with lotus pattern.
The blue and white hair color of this vessel is pure and the composition is rigorous. The heart-shaped decoration means "Mighty Phoenix and Xianglin" to show the peace of heaven and earth. There are two forms of decoration on blue and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty: one is to use blue and white materials to directly depict patterns on the white body. The other is to use blue and white as the ground to set off the white patterns. For example, the blue and white mandarin duck and lotus pattern flower mouth plate, or "manchijiao", is 7.3 cm high, 46.4 cm in diameter, and 29.8 cm in full diameter. The plate has a 16-petal rhombus mouth, folded rim, shallow arc wall, circle foot, and blue and white decoration inside and outside.
The inner bottom is painted with two mandarin ducks swimming in the lotus pond, one looking forward to their love. The inner and outer walls are painted with entwining lotus patterns, and there are 6 blooming lotus flowers on the stems. The folded edge is painted with diamond-shaped brocade patterns. There is no glaze inside the circle foot and the inner wall is beveled.
The theme decoration on this plate is the popular picture of mandarin ducks in a lotus pond painted on the inner bottom. This small scene of lotus pond is a common decorative theme on blue and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty. Some only paint lotus ponds, some have birds in the lotus ponds, most of them are painted on the inner bottom of large plates and bowls, and some are painted on the outer walls of large eight-sided jars.
There is also a type of blue-and-white porcelain, mostly large items. The most common characteristics of the large items are that the large ones have a thick carcass, a dense white color, a transparent white glaze with green glints, and the blue and white colors are rich and bright. There are dark brown spots all over, and the patterns are many layers, some even have as many as ten layers.
The painting is very dense, but complex but not chaotic. There is a blank space between the layers. There is no blank space between the two layers at the bottom of the vessel. There is no relationship between the decorative content of each layer, such as often Among the chrysanthemums, banana leaves, lotuses and peonies, there are clouds and phoenixes, miscellaneous treasures, sea water and river teeth, etc., and the unrelated patterns are combined on one utensil.
For example, a large wine vessel, a Yuan blue and white octagonal plum vase with seawater and white dragon patterns, is 46.1 cm high, 6.2 cm in diameter, and 13.4 cm in full diameter. The plum bottle has thick fetal bones, a small mouth with a flat rim, and a thin and short neck. The bottle body is slender and has eight edges.
The shoulders are decorated with diagonal brocade patterns. Below the brocade pattern, there is a large Ruyi cloud pattern, and a pattern of phoenix or unicorn wearing peonies is painted inside. Four white dragons are painted around the middle of the bottle body, lined with blue and white sea water and flame patterns. Near the foot, there is a circle of Ruyi cloud head pattern, and peony flowers and leaves are painted inside.
Buddhist scriptures say that the mandala starts in the east and ends in the northwest, totaling eight directions, which means that Buddhism spreads all around. The Yuan Dynasty worshiped Taoism and believed in Buddhism. This vessel has eight directions and is decorated with dragon patterns, which symbolizes the emperor's power over the world.
The fetal bones of this vessel are delicate and white, the enamel is moist and translucent, and the blue and white are rich in color.
It embodies the characteristics of large-scale blue and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty, such as large and plump shapes, dense decoration, rich layers, and rigorous composition. It changes the tradition of sparse and simple pattern layout of porcelain since the Tang and Song Dynasties. The meticulous depiction and complex layers form a flowery artistic style. .
The large blue and white cloud head patterns on the shoulders and near the feet of the vessel draw lessons from the patterns of silk shawls of the Yuan Dynasty. The significant increase in the appearance of dragon patterns is also a characteristic of the decorative art of porcelain during this period.
The plum vase not only has a pleasant and beautiful pattern, but also has a clean and moist white glaze, appropriate shades of blue and white materials, bright color, and rich sense of layering. In addition, the vigorous rubbing technique of rubbing on the porcelain gives the picture a wonderful impression. The whole body exudes the luster of beautiful instruments.
In the Ming Dynasty, plum vases became high-level burial objects and had the function of suppressing tombs and warding off evil spirits. In addition to being a symbol of status, there are also feng shui considerations. Non-royal officials are not allowed to "enjoy" such funerary objects.
For example, the Yuan blue and white plum vase "Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moon" found in Muying's tomb in Guanyin Mountain, Dongshanqiao Township, Jiangning County, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, is the representative porcelain of the Jingdezhen kiln in the Yuan Dynasty. This vase has a very unique The blue and white pattern reflects the extremely high level of firing and is known as one of the "Three Wonders of Chinese Porcelain".
The blue and white plum vase in "Xiao He Chasing Han Xin Under the Moon" is 44.1 centimeters high, 13 centimeters in diameter at the bottom, and only 5.5 centimeters in diameter. It has a small mouth, oblique abdomen, narrowed shin, and flat bottom. It has a beautiful shape, rounded and smooth lines, graceful and luxurious, giving people a dignified aesthetic feeling. The story of "Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon" is engraved on the shoulders and abdomen. The blue and white patterns painted on the porcelain vase are multi-layered and very unique.
This plum vase is painted with various blue and white patterns. Although the layers of the patterns are diverse, the passion flowers, miscellaneous treasures, deformed lotus petals, and hanging bead patterns on the upper and lower parts are all very good for Xiao He. The main decorative pattern of Chai Han Xin under the moon serves, making the entire object integrated and the theme distinct and prominent.
The picture of this porcelain is placed on the belly of the plum vase, occupying the main position. The shape of the whole vessel is dignified and steady, the texture is white and dense, the blue and white hair color is green and rich, and the vivid expressions of the characters painted in the bottle are particularly wonderful: Xiao He's anxiety when riding a horse, Han Xin's hesitation watching by the river, the old boatman's impartiality The expectation of standing on the oar is vividly expressed. The blank space is lined with pines, plum bamboos, and mountain rocks, making it look well-proportioned.
The underglaze red in the blue and white is a white ground red flower porcelain that uses copper oxide to paint patterns on the blank, then covers it with transparent glaze, and is fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. Except for the different painting materials and different finished effects, blue and white and underglaze red have basically the same production technology, painting method and firing process.
However, the firing atmosphere of underglaze red porcelain is more stringent than that of blue and white porcelain, and it is harder to control. The underglaze red porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty is the same as the Yuan blue and white porcelain, with a fine, firm and white body and a white glaze. Medium flash green, very smooth.
The decorations mostly include chrysanthemums, peonies, lotuses, cloud dragons, cloud phoenixes, cloud cranes, peacocks, reed geese, character stories, etc. The borders are mostly modified lotus petals, cloud shoulders, Ganoderma lucidum clouds, etc. Banana leaf, back pattern, string pattern, etc.
The types of utensils are mostly large jars, goblets, cups, jade pots, tower jars, barns, large plates, bowls, porcelain figures, etc.
For example, a jar with blue and white underglaze and red engraved lid in a Yuan Dynasty cellar in Baoding City, Hebei Province, is 41 cm in height, 15.5 cm in diameter, and 18.5 cm in foot diameter. The jar has a straight mouth, short neck, smooth shoulders, bulging belly, ring feet, and a sand bottom without glaze. Comes with lion button umbrella-shaped cover. The carcass is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and the quality of the fetus is delicate.
The blue and white colors of this pot are rich and bright, and the red underglaze is slightly darker. The whole body is decorated with blue and white underglaze red patterns. The lid of the jar is painted with a blue and white lotus petal pattern, a curly grass pattern, and a circle pattern each. The body of the jar is painted with a blue and white branch pattern and a curly grass pattern for one week each near the mouth.
The shoulders are painted with drooping Ruyi cloud patterns, blue and white water ripples are painted inside the cloud patterns to support white lotus, and a peony pattern with broken branches is painted between the cloud patterns. Double rhombus-shaped beaded sculptures are piled up on all sides of the abdomen to consecrate it. The interior of the consecration is carved with mountain rocks, peonies, chrysanthemums and other seasonal garden scenes. The rocks and flowers are painted with underglaze red, and the flowers and leaves are painted with blue and white. The decoration has a relief effect. The lower part of the abdomen is decorated with blue and white lotus branches, which correspond to the cloud pattern on the shoulders. Near the bottom are painted curly grass patterns and deformed lotus petal patterns. Within the lotus petal pattern are painted inverted treasure patterns.
The shape of this jar is plump and thick, with distinct layers of decoration. It combines various techniques such as painting, engraving, molding, and pasting. In particular, the engraving decoration is rare on Yuan Dynasty porcelain. Blue and white and underglaze red complement each other in the work. Red and blue complement each other, forming a graceful and colorful artistic effect as a whole.
The jade pot spring bottle is a common type of Jingdezhen porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty. Its varieties include underglaze red, blue and white, blue and white glaze, malachite green glaze and blue and white. For example, underglaze red jade pot spring vase with rabbit pattern, height 20.5 cm, diameter 6.3 cm, and foot diameter 6.8 cm. The bottle has a curled mouth, a thin neck, a hanging belly, and circled feet. The whole body is covered with green and white glaze.
There are 4 dark string patterns carved on the shoulder and the largest part of the abdomen. The upper abdomen depicts a hare running among the flowers and grass. The rabbit looks back and watches. The eyes are painted with underglaze red, which is a skillful depiction. , the blade is sharp and free, the lines are smooth and natural, and the image is lifelike. Underglaze red is applied randomly to the blank areas of the pattern to form white flowers on a red ground, which enhances the artistic effect of the pattern. The mouth of the bottle is painted with underglaze red.
Small utensils such as the underglaze red tumbler, 10 cm high, 7.7 cm in diameter, and 3.8 cm in full diameter. The cup has a slender mouth, a deep belly, a thin bottom, and a hollow bamboo-shaped high foot. The whole body is covered with green and white glaze. The body of the cup is coated with three glaze red spots and placed side by side in a small circle. The bottom of the cup and the stem are connected with tenons and can rotate freely without falling apart.
The decorative patches on this cup are brightly colored and as beautiful as the sunset. It is truly a rare treasure. The cup foot that can be rotated at will makes it more enjoyable.
In addition, other local porcelains in the Yuan Dynasty include Jizhou kiln and Yuxi kiln.
The white ground and black flower decoration technique of Jizhou kiln is derived from Cizhou kiln in the north, but it also has the characteristics of Jizhou kiln itself. The white ground is yellowish and the black flowers are brown. The contrast between the background color and the decorative color is not as strong as the white ground and black flower porcelain of Cizhou kiln.
For example, the Yuan Jizhou kiln jar with white ground and black curly grass pattern is 6.5 cm in height, 5.5 cm in diameter, and 6 cm in foot diameter. The jar has a straight mouth, a flat bottom, and a built-in lid. The outer wall is decorated with white ground and black colors. The theme pattern is a tangled grass pattern, and the cover is decorated with a broken branch flower pattern. This jar is smaller in shape and is a cricket jar.
It is a cricket jar. The pattern is simple, smooth, natural and generous.
The blue and white styles of Yuxi kiln are obviously different from those of Jingdezhen. The texture of blue and white wares in Yuxi kiln is crisp and loose, the glaze is yellowish, the blue and white are dark in tone, and the glazed glass has a strong texture.
A blue and white jade pot spring vase from Yuxi kiln was found in the Yuan Dynasty cremation tomb in Lufeng, Yunnan Province, with a height of 25.6 cm, a diameter of 6.7 cm, and a full diameter of 9.5 cm. The bottle has a curled mouth, a thin neck, a hanging belly, and circled feet. The whole body is covered with green and yellow glaze, and the outer wall is painted with blue and white patterns of banana leaves, lotus petals, and fish and algae.
Although the blue and white color of this bottle is not as good as that of Jingdezhen blue and white, the painting technique is natural and smooth, and the decoration is vividly expressed with just a few strokes, which has a certain artistic effect and fully reflects the porcelain industry in the border areas of my country in the Yuan Dynasty. High level of craftsmanship and exquisite techniques.