Download 1 ancient chinese design: porcelain ancient chinese design

1
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
DEANDRA BRATHWAITE
ARTH 321 HISTORY OF DESIGN
DIVISION OF FINE ARTS
BARBADOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
2
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
One of the most denotable and significant inventions ancient China is porcelain. It is
more commonly known today as ‘china’ or ‘fine china’. The name ‘Porcelain’ is derived from
the similarities, in terms of translucency, which it shares with the Italian ‘Porcellana’ or ‘Cowrie
Shell’. Porcelain can be described as a strong, vitreous and translucent ceramic material which is
biscuit-fired at a low temperature, glazed and then fired at a very high temperature. Porcelain,
when compared to other greater or more historically important, Chinese inventions such as
gunpowder and printing, porcelain is not their most famous invention. Despite this, porcelain
was one of the main Chinese exports and was and is still seen as one of the most exquisite and
durable pieces, in terms of ceramics, to be found in the world.
Some western and Indian countries had a preference for Chinese porcelain. This was even
despite the fact that Europeans learned how to make porcelain for themselves in the 18th century.
Chinese porcelain artwork was and is seen as exotic having vibrant colours and beauty. It is very
durable and useful. The durability of porcelain is such that ancient pieces discovered, dating as
far as the Han Dynasty approximately 2000 years ago, still maintain a translucent appearance in
terms of texture. The Shang Dynasty is where porcelain was said to have made its first
apperance. The earliest porcelain was discovered in central China’s Henan Province amongst the
Shang Dynasty ruins near to Zhengzhou. There is also black porcelain. However this is more
rarely seen.
Types of Porcelain
There are three main types of porcelain or
china. These are the hard-paste, the soft-paste and
the bone china. This is mainly dependent paste’s
composition, how thickly the body of the porcelain
piece is formed using an object and the firing
conditions.
Figure 1: Hard Paste Porcelain
3
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
Hard paste porcelains originated in East Asia, specifically China. These were considered
to be amongst the finest quality porcelain wares. Quality can vary based on composure of the
hard paste mix. Soft-paste porcelains
came into existence from early attempts
by European potters to create Chinese
porcelain by using mixtures of clay and
grounded glass, frit, to create a softer
paste. Even soapstone and lime were
said to have been included within these
compositions of the soft-paste. As
opposed to the hard-paste porcelains,
soft-paste porcelain wares were rather
Figure 2: Soft Paste Porcelain Showing Ease of
Manipulation
unsuccessful as they were not vitrified or hardened enough after firing. It is most likely due to
the fact that clay was used as a part of the mixture. As a result, most early soft-paste porcelains
were subject to deformation, slumping
at
high
production
temperatures.
of
soft-paste
Thus,
the
porcelains
would have been uneconomic due to
low or poor quality finishes.
Bone china was first developed
in England, in 1748. Its name is possibly
derived from the unusual ingredient of
bone-ash which was utilized when
mixing the paste for this
Figure 3: Bone China
4
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
English porcelain. Kaolin clay was at times described as forming ‘the bones of the porcelain
paste’ meanwhile the fleshy aspect of the mixture came from the suitably refined rocks.
Traditionally this ‘bone china’ was made from two parts of bone-ash, part china stone and a
single part of kaolin clay.
Blue and White Chinese Porcelains
Traditionally,
ancient
Chinese
porcelains were blue and white with
intricately designed patterns. Also there
would often be a dragon present within
the design of the portrait as it is
consistent within Chinese culture. Blue
and white porcelains are characterized as
being from the Ming dynasty (1368–
1644) however, they started making
appearances during the Yuan dynasty
(1271–1368) and later thrived under the
Ming Dynasty. Chinese porcelains were
mainly
mono-chromatic
in
nature.
Therefore the blue-and-white porcelains
became the beginning of Chinese multichromatic porcelains.
Figure 4: Blue and White Porcelain
Due to variation of the intensity of the blue in the design, experimentation took place and new
colours came into existence. According to a book entitled “Song Blue and White Porcelain on
the Silk Road” by Adam T. Kessler, ancient shards of blue and white Chinese porcelain have
been discovered and have been said to belong to the Ming Dynasty. There are also records of
shards from pre-Ming blue and white porcelains which were discovered in Haicheng, Southern
China.
5
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
Conclusion
The porcelain of Ancient China, though not as important as other Ancient Chinese
inventions, has had its impact on the history of China. It is still recognized today as one of the
most expensive and exquisite pieces of artwork and ceramics. Chinese porcelain has had a
remarkable influence on European countries including England and has inspired experimentation
with the artform of designing and creating porcelain.
[ 751 words ]
6
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcelain
7
ANCIENT CHINESE DESIGN: PORCELAIN
Bibliography
1. ‘NON-CONTACT COLOR ANALYSIS AND DIGITAL ARCHIVE METHOD FOR BLUEAND-WHITE PORCELAIN BY USING SPECTRAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY’ by M.
James Shyu and Margaret Chen Lee
2. ‘Song Blue and White Porcelain on the Silk Road’ by author Adam T. Kessler