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Chinese Porcelain; Popular and Imperial by MARGARET MEDLEY Formerly Curator Oj the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art in the University of London

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Chinese Porcelain; Popular and Imperial by MARGARET MEDLEY Formerly Curator Oj the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art in the University of London Chinese Porcelain; Popular and Imperial by MARGARET MEDLEY Formerly Curator oj the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art in the University of London Ever since the tenth century, at the notable improvements in quality, aesthetically satisfying. (Plate 1) At beginning of the Song dynasty in and by the time the Song dynasty this point it is necessary to stress 960 AD, two strands have run was securely established and their the fact that the distinctions through the development of tax system began to operate to the between popular and imperial Chinese porcelain, with injections satisfaction of the court, different wares at this time was one of of foreign influence to add to the levels of production became quality and not one of a unique changes that have taken place down distinguishable. kiln producing exclusively for the the centuries. At first distinctions court. However, even in the between popular and imperial types Once there is peace and economic Northern Song period this was to are not easily distinguished. This prosperity, the need to satisfy a occur, if only briefly early in the partly because ceramic wares of the range of different markets becomes 12th Century. Since the court was porcelain type as opposed to a necessity for survival, unless an established in the north, at earthenwares were still in their organisation is set up under a Kaifeng, just south of the Yellow infancy in early Song times and single wealthy patron. In this river, it was perhaps inevitable that partly because until about the end respect the Chinese potters knew with a large and educated of the 10th Century most kilns exactly what they were doing. For population alongside the court, as made a fairly wide variety of the upper end of the market most well as an even larger less educated wares. It was only during the 10th kilns were able to produce wares of servicing population, that the Century that some kilns began to the very finest quality from about production of the kilns enormously specialise in the manufacture of 1000 AD onward, while for increased and in response to the only one or two types. This is ordinary general use less good demand improved in quality. Thus particularly true of kilns of north wares were made which included a up to the year 1127, when the China, where not only the wide range of black and brown court had to flee south to sophisticated white porcelain first wares, stonewares of Jun and Hangzhou, it was the northern appeared, but where the main Cizhou types, as well as lower kilns that were most patronised. centre of patronage, at Kaifeng, quality Yaozhou celadons and Ding Not only this, it became evident was situated. wares. Rejects from the better kilns that the emperor and his court found a ready market among the acquired a strong interest in quality In late Tang times, in the 9th ordinary people, as indeed they still porcelain so that in about 1100 Century, the Xing kilns in Honan do, while in the south, at the AD, for the first time, a kiln was had attained a fine reputation for Longquan kilns in Zhejiang, the established to produce a specific high quality white ware, examples overseas and local domestic markets ware exclusively for the palace. of which have been found as far were well supplied. This was the famed Ru ware, afield as Samarra, the old which ceased production abruptly Caliphate capital near Baghdad in There is an added element here. It in 1127. Until recently it was Iraq. In the following century the is that some taxes were paid by the believed to have been made at a main centre for fine porcelain kilns in the form of goods, that is kiln established within the precincts moved farther north into Hebei, to in their own products. Yaozhou, of the imperial palace at Kaifeng, the Ding kilns about 80 miles for instance, at the beginning of the but it has now been discovered in a south-east of Beijing, up in the 12th Century, sent in to court as remote valley in the western part of mountains. The kilns at Yaozhou, part of its tax, or tribute, 12,000 Honan. Thus for the first time we to the west in Shaanxi province pieces of top class celadon. The can observe a clear distinction which in Tang times had made Ding kilns were also suppliers of between imperial and popular earthenwares, stonewares and white fine ware to the court. But here the wares. wares, began to turn over directly situation was slightly different, to the production of a very because the white ware was greatly- The existence of such patronage in sophisticated ware known under the favoured. The emperor used to the north almost inevitably meant generic name of Northern Celadon. appoint a buying commission of that there would be technical and There were also other kilns, equally eunuchs to go and cream off the aesthetic refinements. Indeed the famous in history, which had made best Ding wares at regular improvements in all round quality . riety of types, such as the Jun intervals. Of all the wares of north in Chinese porcelains in the late kiln:: which now began to China the Ding was not only the 11th and early 12th Century were sped. \ With such a change in technically most sophisticated, but quite remarkable. It is however, manu. iring practice there came was also for many people the most characteristic of the period that 43 ,; > •: Si V U •> f&f . • v. -v • Sr. * ■•?&& 1 Ding bowl with carved decoration. Song, early 12th Century. Diameter 20.7 cm (8 in) 2 Cizhou vase with painted decoration. Formerly Mrs A Clark Collection Song, 12th Century. Height 36.5 cm (14.3 in) Victoria & Albert Museum subdued colours and restrained, northern ware, but in the south the even subtle decoration were the very popular Jizhou wares were to Jingdezhen, which was only after predominant features of the more similarly available for the domestic the end of the Song to become the sophisticated wares. These and non-imperial market. These dominant centre. During the restraints were in some degree wares were extremely varied both Southern Song it was to be Guan imposed by the very materials in type and decoration, and were and Longquan celadon, both made themselves. Stoneware glazes are always much admired by ordinary in Zhejiang for the court, domestic mainly coloured with iron oxides folk (.Plate 3). By the end of the use and the overseas markets that producing all the subdued blues 14th Century, in fact, when the held the centre of the stage. Jizhou, greys and greens in a reducing kilns were no longer in operation, south of Jingdezhen, and the other atmosphere and browns and blacks the products were beginning to be smaller kilns in southern Zhejiang in an oxidizing atmosphere. looked on with a degree of favour and through Fujian and by the middle class connoisseurs. Guangdong, were almost While popular taste was no doubt completely ignored by the »urt reasonably content with this, there Even after the court moved to the and aristocratic taste. was also one stream within this that south, and with it the patronage of favoured decoration of a more the kilns, it was the monochromes At the same time as Song imperial obvious kind than subtle carving with the restraints and subtleties patronage continued to favour the and moulding, such as painting and that continued to be favoured. We Zhejiang kilns above all o« is, and sgraffito (Plate 2). This preference can thus affirm that the Song the quality went on ivnprc .g, the was catered for by the Cizhou type emperor and his court imposed a emperor was experiencing at kilns, which were numerous and character on ceramic production in political and economic pr< ins. widely distributed. These produced their time, both in the north, During the 13th Century Jin a great variety of sturdy wares before the Jin tartar invasion and dynasty holding the norili 1 lowed suitable for ordinary household use in the south when patronage was by the Mongols in 1235, i as well as for more ornamental moved to the Longquan celadon pressure on the Southern ng in purposes. This, of course, was a kilns and to a very limited degree both economic and milila vrms. 44 The potters changed the glaze recipe, making it more translucent and so less inhibiting to the decorators who now carved and moulded, and added reliefs to the body before glazing, or they floated unglazed decorative reliefs, that changed colour in the firing, on the surface of the unflred glaze on dishes, and on vases they painted areas of richly moulded decoration with a wax resist to produce the same effect, and even went so far as to add gilding in some instances. Some of the traditional utilitarian shapes continued with their restrained decorations for purely practical reasons, but the output as a whole seems to have been dominated by the need to satisfy the overseas customers in Southeast Asia, India and the Near East, and it was from the Near East that the greatest innovation came. Jingdezhen, unlike Longquan, does not appear to have had a place of any great importance so far as the educated elite was concerned. Production was mainly for local 3 Jizhou bowl with blackish paper-cut dccoiation on a speckled buff ground. Southern Song. consumption and for the overseas 12th -13th Century. Diameter 12.3 cm (4.8 in) Japanese Collection trade. The pure white porcelain known variously as yingqing and This meant the emperor had to Mongols had little interest in qingbai carried on many of the find revenue to ward off the porcelain as such, but they had a traditions of the Ding in the north, potential invaders, either in bribes good deal of interest in the revenue with carved and moulded or by military force.
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