Longquan celadon

LONGQUAN CELADON

Celadon is a word that is synonymous to Longquan greenware. Besides blue and white, this is definitely one of the best know type of Chinese porcelain and could be found along countries along the maritime silk route, covering Southeast, South, west Asia and middle-east/East Africa. The volume of Longquan celadon exported was enormous.

The kilns producing Longquan celadons were located in the south of Zhejiang province, covering ten counties with Longquan county as the main production centre. Because of its fame, some kilns in Fujian also produced similar type of wares.

Northern Song Longquan light green wares

Some experts are of the view that Longquan kilns originated during the Three Kingdoms and Western Jin based on some proto-porcelain and porcelain wares found in tombs in Fujian which were different from those of Yue wares type in Zhejiang. But latest kiln findings could only confirm a production which began in Northern Song period, with date ranging from mid 10th to mid 11th century. Based on the kiln findings in Jincun, the early products were transparent light green in tone which was similar to those from the ou kiln. The body of the those light green ware are typically thin and fully glaze footring and base . They are fired on spurs. However, there are also a small amount without glaze on the outer base.

Longquan Dayao kiln

Late Northern Song Longquan wares with curved/combed motif

Longquan wares made progress during later parts of Northern Song and became different from earlier Longquan celadons. The biscuit was light grey to grey in colour. The oldest style has thinly applied transparent, glassy glaze with the unglaze exterior base. The glaze typically is greyish green or yellowish green but there are also some with clear light green tone. Chemical tests have shown the glaze during thise period is a type of lime glaze with low viscosity. The bowls of the base is thick and were fired using clay separators on the base to prevent adhesion to the saggar. A typical of this period has curved vertical lines on the external wall and carved/incised floral motif with combed lines/zigzag lines on the interior. (Similar curved and combed motif could be found on other types of vessels. Many of the vases and bigger vessels were fired without the protection of the saggars.)

Subsequent evolvement produced bowls with the combed motif but no vertical curved lines on the external wall. Mr Kamei Meitoku, , who did an article on the Chronology of Longquan wares , basing on the archaeological findings in Longquan and Japan,, dated such curved/combed motif items to late 11th to mid 12th century, ie. late Northern Song Period. An example with the vertical lines on the exterior wall was excavated from the the tomb of Li Bing couple of A.D. 1091 at Liyang, Jiangsu province.

More Northern Song Longquan Wares

Early Southern Song Lonquan wares

During the early Southern Song phase, mid 12th to end 12th century, the typical bowls have a thicker lower portion. The thick potting is necessary as the porcelain stone used contained a high silicon content. If too thin, the vessel would warp under high firing temperature. The glaze is still the lime type. Decoration has become more sparse and combed lines have practically disappeared. A new composition with floral separated by a "s" shaped line was also introduced. There is also a popular type without decoration but with an impressed inscriptions on the interior base which read 金玉满堂 |jingyumantang" (gold jade filled hall) or 河滨遗范 "hebinyifan" (river bank remaining models). The origin of the inscription could be traced to an ancient event. Shun, one of the 5 emperors of prehistoric China, made pottery in Hebin. Therefore, hebinyifan could be a commemoration to the potter's ancestor. Another popular type with lotus petal curving on the exterior was introduced sometime later. The lotus petal has a raised ridge It also had the thick footring and unglaze base. This type continued to be made till the Yuan period.

Mid to Late Southern Song Longquan wares

During the middle of the Southern Song, Longquan potters introduced a new glaze composition and paste. The traditional lime glaze was replaced by a lime-alkali glaze. Lime-akali glaze is high on viscosity and is not runny and has a soft gloss. To increase the thickness of the glaze, the technique of multiple firing and multiple glazing was developed. The porcelain stone used is mixed with "zijin" (reddish purple) clay. This new mixture enable a high-quality thin and light body porcelain to be made.

Two types of high quality celadons were produced. A thick glaze with white biscuit (with smaller amount of zijin clay", and a guan type thick glaze with even thinner black biscuit (a higher amount of zijin clay used). The late southern song to early Yuan period was the golden period of celadon production. The finishing was fine with well-trimmed and think footring and the thick glaze is of excellent quality generally. Two types, the soft green (fenqing) and the plum green (meizhiqing) represented the two most successful glaze quality much treasured by collectors. Both types are fired under reduction atmosphere with the pum green type at a higher temperature. Hence, it has clear and transparent jade-green colour. Those with the yellow tone were all fired in an oxidizing atmosphere. The vessels during this period have beautiful shape and jade-like quality. Only a limited motif were used for decoration. The most common are bow string, lotus petals, peony, dragon, phoenix and fish motif.

The Longquan celadons with a white biscuit was an innovation. The body is thicker, light grayish white in colour, and the glaze is green. Most of these celadons have a soft and powdery green (fenqing) and are without crackles.

Celadons with a thick glaze and thin black biscuit were produced in small quantities only by Longquan Dayao and a few kilns in Xikou. The technology was borrowed from Jiaotanxia Guan kiln. Hence their forms, decorative motifs and glaze were similar to Guan wares.

More Southern Song Longquan Wares

Yuan Longquan wares

The Longquan kilns of the Yuan dynasty specialised in the production of celadons with light grayish white body. The industry developed further. Kiln owners tried to meet the needs of the Mongolian rulers and buyers from Southeast Asia and West Asia, and produced new products such as big plates, big vases and cups with high stem foot, and bowls which were decorated with incised, carved, moulded and hollowed out patterns of great variety . However, during the middle and late Yuan,glazing became simplified: most of these celadons had only one layer of green glaze . The glaze became thinner and its colour was mainly yellowish green or grayish green. The body of the vessels become thicker with thick footring. The jade-like powdery green glaze had basically disappeared. There was also some change in firing practice: the Longquan celadons were now supported by a ring dish-like pad. Hence, and there was a ring of unglazed bisquit near the rim at the base.

Ming Longquan wares

Longquan wares continued to be produced during Ming through Late Qing Dynasty. During the early Ming period, there were many well made big plates produced with densely filled curved/molded floral motif on the interior. Some of the better pieces have thick glossy glaze which was the result of multi layer glaze application. As compared with the typical earlier/midYuan plates, the wall of the plate is shallower. Those vessels of the late Ming pieces have glassier and more transparent glaze which tends to develop crazing. The production volume decreased markedly and the quality is relatively much poorer. Most kilns ceased production with just a few that continued to produce in the Qing period.