The Asian Pottery Process
The process for crafting and firing pottery is different throughout Asian countries. Some of these processes have changed over the centuries, as new ideas and technology have been adapted, while others remain exactly as they did when the style was first created. Each style's colors derive either from the glaze or from the clay itself.
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Blue and White Porcelain
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Blue and white porcelain is usually the first kind of Chinese ceramic pottery that comes to mind, given its prevalence throughout Chinese history. The distinctive blue color derives from a cobalt oxide. The designs are painted onto the pottery before a porcelain glaze is added and the piece is fired. The earliest known pieces of this pottery style, discovered in the late 20th century, date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), but the style as we know it today developed during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Historians attribute the early stages of blue and white porcelain in China to the influence of traders who brought cobalt oxide from the Middle East in the 800s.
Celadon
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The Celadon style developed in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1270), with even earlier origins and spread across Japan and Korea. Although green is the most well-known color for a celadon glaze, it's not uncommon for the pottery style to come in shades of blue, yellow, red, white, and any combination within these ranges. The resulting color depends on a combination of the chemical makeup of the clay being fired and the glaze itself. A celadon ceramic is usually fired in a reduction atmosphere kiln, which prevents oxidation and pulls oxygen directly from the clay.
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Bizen
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Bizen pottery is distinctive in the fact it doesn't have a glaze. Instead, the stoneware is normally fired with red pine wood. The result is a more austere style ceramic with a color that ranges from dark brown to a burnt red. Prominent during the Momoyama Period (1573-1603) in Japan, the style originated during the 14th century. Modern Bizen-style potters still use the same overall shape and structure of the existing samples from the Momoyama Period.
Echizen
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Similar to the Bizen style, Echizen pottery is also unglazed. The style's origin dates back to the Heian Period (794-1185). Its deep, reddish-brown color is derived from the iron-rich clay used to make it. Echizen pottery is traditionally fired in an anagama kiln, which is built into a natural hillside and fired with wood instead of gas or oil. Cups fired in the asymmetric, flawed Echizen style are often used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies since they serve as an example of the "wabi sabi" philosophy. This Buddhist concept reflects the transient nature of life, celebrating the beauty of imperfection.
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References
- Richard L. WIlson; "Inside Japanese Ceramics: A Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions"; 1999.
- Li He; "Chinese Ceramics: A New Comprehensive Survey from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco"; 2006.
- Japan Visitor: Living the Echizen Style
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Northern Celadon Wares
Resources
- Photo Credit Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
