ceramics & pottery | Hello Tea Cup

How Chinese Ceramics Spread Across The World During the Tang Dynasty

teasenz — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 09:27:59 +0000

The development of ceramics during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907) was an important episode in the history of Chinese ceramics. The ceramics industry was flourishing. The reason for this was not only political stability and social-economic prosperity, but also the development of international trade. The foreign exports of ceramics during this period, whether in terms of quantity or quality, had far surpassed that of the previous dynasties. Like silk and tea, the export of ceramics was also of great significance to China’s overseas trade. Besides economic activity, this also resulted indirectly in political relations and cultural exchange. Main Routes of Foreign Exports of Chinese Ceramics Maritime traffic between China and foreign countries has become increasingly frequent since the Tang Dynasty. A wide variety of commodities and tributes were imported into China by sea and […]

The post How Chinese Ceramics Spread Across The World During the Tang Dynasty first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

Tang Tricolor Pottery & Ceramics (Tang Sancai): An In-Depth Guide

teasenz — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 17:06:55 +0000

Tang Tricolor pottery, also called Tang Sancai, is a type of pottery that flourished in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is made of white clay and coloured using a glaze containing lead. The glaze uses metals such as iron, copper, manganese and cobalt as colouring agents and is fired at a low temperature of 750-850°C. The glaze has a range of colours like yellow, green, cream, brown, blue and black. As yellow, green and cream were the 3 main colours, such pottery is also known as ‘Tang tricolor’. Recommend: The Rise of White Ceramics during the Sui Dynasty The Achievements of Tang Tricolor Tang Sancai not only broke through the limitations of the previous monochrome glaze, using a variety of glaze colours and techniques to achieve a magnificent and moving artistic effect, […]

The post Tang Tricolor Pottery & Ceramics (Tang Sancai): An In-Depth Guide first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

The Rise of White Ceramics Ware During the Sui Dynasty

teasenz — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 08:57:40 +0000

After the Rise of Celadon ware during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), it was white porcelain that took the spotlight during the Sui Dynasty. In this period (581–618), ceramic artists successfully fired white porcelain, which was largely based on the method of celadon production. Note: White porcelain from this period my also be called white ceramic or simply white ware as according to the Western definition it’s not yet true porcelain. This is because ware from this period where not fully white and translucent. Technically speaking, the secret of firing white ware was mainly a matter of raw material innovation and higher temperature firing. Compared to celadon, the white porcelain glaze contained very little iron, preventing the glaze from darkening. We will use the terms white ware, white porcelain and white ceramic interchangeable in […]

The post The Rise of White Ceramics Ware During the Sui Dynasty first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

The Invention of True Celadon in the Eastern Han Dynasty

teasenz — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 07:57:06 +0000

Celadon is known as a kind of ceramic with a colour glaze. Such coating is achieved by applying a liquified clay slip recipe to the ceramic ware before high temperature firing. In this article, we’ll look at when ‘true celadon‘ was invented and the conditions that let to its rise. Primitive Celadon, Shang Dynasty The history of ceramics in China is a long one. As early as 5000 years ago, white pottery made from kaolin clay already existed in China, which was the base material for celadon ware. However, it wasn’t until the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 BC), glazed wares close to celadon gradually appeared. As the firing process was still somewhat primitive, the glazed layer wasn’t strong and durable. We therefore call this: ‘primitive celadon‘. True Celadon, Eastern Han By the Eastern Han Dynasty […]

The post The Invention of True Celadon in the Eastern Han Dynasty first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

China’s Dragon Kiln: Meaning & History

Sonia — Sat, 15 May 2021 15:16:13 +0000

In China, the art of Ceramics is known as the art of “clay and fire”. That’s not a surprise, knowing that the kiln is a critical piece of equipment for firing ceramics. The most fascinating kind of kiln is without doubt the Chinese dragon kilns (long yao 龙窑). It’s a traditional form of kiln before industrial ovens existed. Even today, such a kiln produces still superior, unrivalled quality ceramics. Now is a good time to further understand the meaning, history and workings of such a kiln, given that Teasenz recently launched a dragon kiln fired Yixing tea pot. Dragon Kiln Meaning You may wonder: how did it get the name “dragon” kiln? First, it is cylinder-shaped and long. Most of the dragon kilns were built on sloping hillsides and were between 30-80 metres in length. Secondly, the kiln […]

The post China’s Dragon Kiln: Meaning & History first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

The Art of Fixing Ceramics (Kintsugi) Started With This Metal Stapled Celadon Bowl

Sonia — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:01:53 +0000

Repairing things has become a fashion today. Especially, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramic and pottery called Kintsugi (金継ぎ), or Kintsukuroi (金繕い) has gained fascinating popularity. The basic process of Kintsugi is to fill up and glue the cracks of the broken object using varnish, and then cover the varnish with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. Each repaired object has a unique golden pattern, shows the beauty of imperfection praised by the Japanese. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lee Mandy (@ladyandpups) on Jun 13, 2020 at 6:49am PDT According to a legend, the rise of Kintsugi in Japan all started with a metal stapled Chinese celadon bowl, which was sent back by a Japanese ruler to China for replacement. Instead of a new bowl, he got returned a metal stapled bowl. […]

The post The Art of Fixing Ceramics (Kintsugi) Started With This Metal Stapled Celadon Bowl first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.

The Five Great Kilns Of The Song Dynasty

Sonia — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 02:23:44 +0000

The term “Five Great Kilns” (Chinese: 五大名窑, wu da ming yao) was first mentioned in a book of imperial collections of the Ming dynasty. It referred to the five kilns that were famous for their production of Chinese ceramics during the Song dynasty (960–1279). They are respectively Ruyao, Junyao, Guanyao, Dingyao and Geyao. The character 窑 (yao) means both ceramic kilns or wares. Before their existence, ceramics were made mostly for practical use. The Five Great Kilns started a new era of making ceramic wares that were practical and ornamental at the same time. The distinctive characteristics of the products of each kiln was highly esteemed and reproduced after. In this article we introduce and discuss of type of kiln. Ru Ware (Ruyao) Ruyao only existed for twenty years towards the end of Northern Song […]

The post The Five Great Kilns Of The Song Dynasty first appeared on Hello Tea Cup.