Shanghai Museum - Ceramics

The ceramics section of Shanghai Museum is its raison d'etre. If you thought the bronzes were good the pottery is mindbggling.
As in Suzhou the collection starts with very early pottery from neolithic times. The pottey was painted before it was fired, many of the patterns inspired by whirlpools.

 

By c1200BCE in the Shang dynasty higher firing temperatures were acheived causing a reductive  environment and much dark grey pottery was produced caused by the iron in the clay being deoxidised. The grey pottery could then be burnished by polishing. Patterns could also be incised on the pottery before firing.

Terracotta figures were also made during Shang and Han dynasties.

Ash glazed stoneware also developed during Han times and also lowfired green and brown glazes.

By Tang times (7-10C CE) true porcelain was being produced. Glazed "tricolour" pottery was also being made and the pottery animals and and Buddhist "Gods" beloved of modern reproducers for the tourist industry.

 A method of layering different clays to produce marbled ware was also developed.

Tricolour ware could also be found on vases and elaborate Phoenix ewers and similar items modelled on Sassanian silverware.

From Tang through Song times plain white glazes were used on both porcelain and Celadon.

A particular technique involved an incised pearl background to the main incised decoration.

Other glazes were developed at various kilns during the Song dynasty together with painted on glazes.



Song Dynasty, Cizhou Kiln





Song Dynasty, Jizhou Kiln



These Song pieces are probably my favourites together with Longshan blackware
By Yuan times the blue underglazed porcelain had been developed  beginning of the period known to Europe as "blue and white" .

 There is evidence that this was developed for demand in Turkey and Arab countries. A red underglaze was invented at the same time. By Ming ( 1348-1644) a method of  "rival colours" where a blue underglaze was over painted after firing with other colours was developed.After 1602 these became prized possessions in europe where "Ming Vase" became synomynous with "highly valuable".

By Kanxi times (early Qing) the same blue could be made into blues of different depths. The techniques of copper red underglaze and of combining red and blue underglaze was developed. Imperial vases of red dragons on blue waves were produced.

 After the Kanxi period the focus of production moved more and more to production for export and by late Qing design had moved towards western taste.