Proto-celadon
Encyclopedia
Proto-celadon was a type of Chinese ceramic which developed during the Shang
period and Western Han periods. It is often qualified as "proto-porcelain", and was usually adorned with a light yellowish green glaze.
clay, with an iron content below 3%. Firing temperature was around 1200 degreed Celsius. Surface treatment consisted in a lime glaze. The type of objects manufactured in proto-celadon were similar to the objects manufactured in bronze
.
During the Shang and Zhou periods, proto-celadon was mainly produced in the areas south of the Yangtze river
. Following this period, production greatly improved in quantity and quality.
These advances would be followed by those of the Yue ware
, and the blooming of celadon
production from the period of the Song dynasty
.
Shang
The shang is a flat ritual upturned handbell employed by Bönpo and Asian shamans. The sizes of the shang range from approximately 3 to 20 inches in diameter. It is traditionally held to have originated in Zhangzhung and is symbolically similar to the tantric dril-bhu. Shang are traditionally...
period and Western Han periods. It is often qualified as "proto-porcelain", and was usually adorned with a light yellowish green glaze.
Proto-celadon
The body of proto-celadon was made of porcelainPorcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
clay, with an iron content below 3%. Firing temperature was around 1200 degreed Celsius. Surface treatment consisted in a lime glaze. The type of objects manufactured in proto-celadon were similar to the objects manufactured in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
.
During the Shang and Zhou periods, proto-celadon was mainly produced in the areas south of the Yangtze river
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. Following this period, production greatly improved in quantity and quality.
Inception of true celadon
From the Eastern Han period, true celadon ware (Chinese: 成熟青瓷) started to appear, with production focused on the Zhejiang Province. Although still following the shapes and patterns of proto-celadon wares, these advances now represented the characteristics of true porcelain, with refined and pure clays and correct firing temperatures.These advances would be followed by those of the Yue ware
Yue ware
Yue ware is a type of Chinese ceramics, a felspathic siliceous stoneware, which is characteristically decorated with celadon glazing. Yue ware is also sometimes called "Green porcelain" in modern literature, but the term is misleading as it is not really porcelain and its shades are not really...
, and the blooming of celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
production from the period of the Song dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
.