Enamel Painted Porcelain 琺瑯彩繪瓷 (景泰藍)
Porcelain, Colour, Pattern
Enamel Painted Porcelain was pottery that featured unique techniques such as overglaze painting and cloisonné (embedding of minerals). It emerged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD) which dubbed it as Qing porcelain. The Qing imperial court would order custom-made pieces of enamel painted porcelain.
Ordinary Chinese Porcelain
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD)
White Porcelain, Blue and White Porcelain, Black Porcelain, Celadon
Hard, Smooth, Colourful
Craft
Black Porcelain 黑瓷
Black Colour, Pottery, Porcelain
Black porcelain is a type of pottery with a pure black base which was achieved by using a black iron glaze. It started during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) and was for ordinary use.
Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC)
Enamel Painted Porcelain, Celadon, Blue and White Porcelain, White Porcelain
Hard, Smooth, Black
craft
Celadon 青瓷
Green, Porcelain, Pottery
Celadon was a type of pottery finished off with a pale grayish-green glaze. To give off this effect, the ceramic would be applied with liquified clay rich in iron before being heated up. The iron in the clay would oxidize to unravel its distinct colour. Celadon dates back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) and the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).
Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) & Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC)
White Porcelain, Blue and White Porcelain, Black Porcelain, Enamel Painted Porcelain
Smooth texture
Craft
Blue and White Porcelain 青花瓷
Pottery, Porcelain, Folk art
Blue and white porcelain is pottery with a white base and treated with a vibrant blue glaze. It began in the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907 AD) when cobalt started to be imported from Persia. Blue and white porcelain was often portrayed works of the blue wolf and the fallow doe, mythical ancestors of Mongolia, during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 AD).
White Porcelain
Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)
White Porcelain, Celadon, Enamel Painted Porcelain, Black Porcelain
Hard, Smooth, Blue, White
Craft
White Porcelain 白瓷
Plain, Tang porcelain, Clay, Bottle
In Lin cheng, Nei qiu and Xing tai, in northern Hebei, a hard, white porcelain, called Xing porcelain, gained fame and became the standard Tang porcelain. White porcelain was pottery created with a plain white glaze. It began mature production during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD). White porcelain was highly praised for its minimalistic design. It was commonly used for everyday items.
Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD)
White Porcelain, Celadon, Enamel Painted Porcelain, Black Porcelain
Hard, Smooth, White
Craft
Fengxiang Clay Sculpture 泥塑
Clay, Mud, Sculpture
Clay sculpture has been handed down among the people for about three thousand years. These sculptures are made from the special clay called “Ban Ban Tu,” found only in Fengxiang County, northwest of Xi’an.
Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC)
Mud-colour, Sticky texture (at first)
Craft
Opera Mask 面譜
Face, Performance, Drawings, Face-decoration
The Chinese opera is one of the oldest known dramatic art forms worldwide. However, it is evident that most audience or spectators are more fascinated with the Opera masks normally used in every opera performance.
Beijing Opera
Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)
Face sized and shaped, Colourful decoration
Craft
Terracotta Army 兵馬俑
Ceramic, Funeral, War
The Terracotta Army (also known as the "Terracotta Warriors") is a massive collection of terracotta sculpture consisting of 8,000 clay warriors and horses which were discovered in 1974 next to the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who died in 210 BC, in Shaanxi province, China.
Qin Shi Huangdi
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)
Height: 184-197cm (6ft-6ft 5in)
Craft