Jizhou Kiln is a precious traditional porcelain craft of the Han ethnic group. As a world-renowned comprehensive porcelain kiln in the Jiangnan region (Ji'an, Jiangxi), it has a strong local style and Han ethnic artistic characteristics. The rich experience and skilled craftsmanship of Jizhou Kiln have played a significant role in promoting the development and improvement of the porcelain industry in Jiangxi region. Jizhou Ancient Kiln flourished in the late Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Two Song Dynasties, and declined in the late Yuan Dynasty. It was named after its location, and was also known as Dongchang Kiln or Yonghe Kiln because Yonghe was the county seat of Dongchang at that time. The products of Jizhou Kiln are exquisite and rich, especially the black glazed porcelain (also known as Tianmu glazed porcelain) products. Its original "wood leaf Tianmu", "Paper Cuttings decal Tianmu" and "tortoise shell Tianmu" are famous at home and abroad. Sprinkled glaze, tiger skin and Tianmu are also iconic varieties of Jizhou kiln.

Bian Xianghe had an understanding of Jizhou kiln in the development of Chinese ceramics. He pointed out that Jizhou kiln plays a very important role in the development of Chinese ceramics. Jizhou kiln not only integrates the porcelain making techniques of the Central Plains, but also depicts the local cultural charm of Jizhou on porcelain. There are new changes in the shape and mechanism of porcelain, making Jizhou kiln an important category of Chinese porcelain, which made ancient Europe Royal nobles from various Middle Eastern countries fell in love with Jizhou porcelain.

Chuang Shao and Dai Dai

Jizhou Kiln was founded and fired in the late Tang Dynasty, passed through the Five Dynasties and Northern Song Dynasties, and reached its peak in the Southern Song Dynasty. It was finally fired by the end of the Yuan Dynasty and has a firing history of over 1200 years. In the late Tang Dynasty, the main focus was on firing sauce brown and milky white glazed porcelain. Starting from the Northern Song Dynasty, the production of sauce brown glazed porcelain ceased, while the production of milky white glazed porcelain continued. However, the shape had changed, and new varieties of black glazed porcelain were added. The milky white glazed porcelain of this period includes astringent rings, high ring feet, melon edged belly bowls, decorated brown colored bowls, vessel covers, diamond mouth dishes, lip and lotus petal patterned high foot cups, etc. The lotus petal patterned high foot cup was a common item in the Northern Song Dynasty. Bowls, bowls, dishes, etc. cannot be glazed to the bottom, and the bottom cutting is rough and rough. The milky white glazed bowl has thick or curled lips, and the glaze is not as deep as the bottom. It is fired with supporting nails and has brown colored spots, with a flat bottom or nearly wide circular feet, similar to being fired from the Five Dynasties to the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there were various types of milky white porcelain such as bowls, cups, and powder boxes. These utensils are mostly full of glaze, and the bowl glaze has a crystal clear and moist color, with ice cracking and fine lines.

The Yuan Dynasty milky white porcelain did not have various types of bowls, plates, tall foot cups, and jade pots and spring bottles. Gaozu Cup, Mangkou Taiping Bottom Printed Bowl, Jade Pot Spring Bottle, and Mangkou Double Fish Pattern Printed Plate are all typical dating utensils of the Yuan Dynasty.

The black glazed porcelain of Jizhou kiln seems to have only begun firing during the Northern Song Dynasty. The black glazed porcelain of the Southern Song Dynasty includes awned mouth, converging mouth, curled lips, deep belly, outer black and inner white glazed bowl, plate, awned mouth thin lip plate, jar, bottle, injection pot, ding, cup, and lid. The most common feature of black glazed bowls and cups in Jizhou kiln is their mouth and bottom, which are low and concave, and are often fully glazed.

The black glazed porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty includes bowls, plates, cups, high footed cups, jars, black glazed painted folding lip pots, flat bellied pots, tripods, lids, hollowed out stoves, and brown glazed willow bucket patterned pots. Bowls and cups have a broad mouth, and the belly is slanted and rough. The folded lip basin, a type of tire shaped decoration, was not seen in the Song Dynasty and is similar to the style of imitation silverware in the Yuan Dynasty. Long necked bottle tombs are often unearthed. The style of the black glazed vase is similar to that of the Yuan Dynasty plum vase. Various types of vessel covers, white milk nail patterns, as well as hollow and semi circular small button decorations have been found in a large number of Yuan Dynasty sunken ships in the South Korean waters. The lotus leaf shaped lid was also a popular type of porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty. In short, the black glazed porcelain of Jizhou Kiln went through three different periods: the Northern Song, Southern Song, and Yuan Dynasties, with a relatively long duration and slight changes in form. Starting from the Southern Song Dynasty, a new type of painted porcelain emerged in Jizhou Kiln, and the production of painted porcelain flourished during the Yuan Dynasty. The main types of equipment include a powder box and a square lip basin. The cover of the powder box has colors such as "Yin Jiage" and "Fenhe Shi". This "Yin family" seems to be at the same time as the "Shu family" (Shuwengyao). The shape of the square lip color box is similar to the style of Cizhou kiln ware in the Song Dynasty.

During the Yuan Dynasty, painted porcelain had a great development. The main types of vessels include Yao, Hai Tao Mandarin Duck Playing Water Pattern Bottles, Cups, Lids, and Folded Lip Pots. The decorative style of the Haitao plum bamboo patterned jar is different from that of the Yuelu patterned jar in the Southern Song Dynasty. Haitao patterned porcelain has been found in sunken ships of the Yuan Dynasty in China. Other typical decorative styles in Yuan Dynasty porcelain include continuous geometric patterns, brocade patterns, milk nail patterns, and semi circular buttons. The hollowed out milk nail patterned cup lotus leaf shaped lid and semi circular, triangular small button lid are similar in shape to Yuan Dynasty porcelain. The painted pattern of the folded lip basin is rare in the Jizhou kiln of the Song Dynasty, similar to the pattern of the Cizhou kiln, but its folded lip decoration is a style of imitation silver ware in Yuan Dynasty porcelain.

From the late Northern Song Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty, a new type of green glazed porcelain emerged in Jizhou Kiln, with pillows being the most common. The newly unearthed waist shaped banana leaf patterned green glazed pillows have been found in places such as Xiushui, Qingjiang, and Jishui. Some pillows have "Shu Family Records" printed on the bottom, resembling products from the "Shu Weng Kiln" of the Song Dynasty.

Category and Pattern

There are various types of Jizhou kiln porcelain, with rich and colorful decorative patterns. According to the body glaze, it can be divided into categories such as blue glaze, black glaze, milky white glaze, white glaze for painting, and green glaze. In terms of decoration techniques, wood leaves, tortoise shell, sprinkling glaze, Paper Cuttings, decals, flower picking, printing, color painting, flower drawing, plastic stacking and hanging, etc. are used, which are infinitely changeable and unified in the practicality and artistry of porcelain.

Celadon

There are glaze colors such as green, beige, and brown. In terms of sauce brown glazed porcelain, objects such as sauce brown glazed peas, jars, and short flow injection pots were found in the lower layer of the bed of the Benjue Temple kiln and the same layer of the Tianzuling accumulation layer. Both of these are undisturbed accumulation layers. Its firing method is the same as that of the Three Kingdoms celadon and Tang Yue kiln unearthed in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, using kaolin lining blocks for firing. This type of vessel is similar to the short flow injection pot and double series jar fired in the late Tang Dynasty at Hongzhou Kiln in Fengcheng, as well as the Henan Hebiji Kiln porcelain pot, injection pot, and double series jar. Blue porcelain is made of coarse sand mixed with fine sand, and a layer of "makeup soil" is first applied between the body and glaze, followed by a layer of sauce brown glaze. The glaze is not deep enough, so the inner lining of the bowl is covered with five or six pieces of kaolin to avoid overlapping the glaze during firing. The firing age of these products can be traced back to the late Tang Dynasty. Green gray and beige glazed porcelain have been unearthed in Yinjiashanling, Shangjiangling, Mao'anling, and other areas. The body material is gray white, relatively firm, and in small quantities, similar to the body material of Jizhou kiln. The main artifacts include lotus petal patterned high foot cups, carved dark flower bowls with tangled branches, shallow belly plates, cauldron furnaces, circular foot plates, plain high foot cups and plates, etc. Some of them cannot be glazed to the bottom and crack into thin pieces. Pan, bowl, and plain high foot cup, with a purple red bottom exposed without glaze, have "blood bottom feet". Among them, the lotus petal patterned high foot cup seems to have been fired during the Five Dynasties period. Other artifacts are found in Song and Yuan tombs in Nanchang, Qingjiang, Dongxiang, and Xingan, Jiangxi Province. From the analysis of the glaze, it should be fired in Jizhou kiln. Some are like imitation Longquan glazed high foot cups, with a blue to yellow glaze color due to differences in fire conditions, clay, and firing techniques.

Milk white glazed porcelain

The fetal material is grayish white and relatively fine. Bowls, bowls, dishes, and bowls are more common. The glaze is white with a greenish yellow tint, and the glaze is thinner than the base, similar to early shadow celadon. The bottom cutting is relatively rough. There are two types of bottom: flat bottom and circular foot, some of which can reach a height of 2.7 centimeters. Milk white glazed porcelain mainly consists of bowls. Thick lipped and folded lipped bowls formed by the accumulation of layers under the kiln bed were first fired in the late Tang and Five Dynasties until the end of the Yuan Dynasty. The bottom of the bowl is usually printed with "Ji", "Ji", "Tai" or sauce glazed books to indicate "Ji", "Ji", and "Fu", with a few utensils inscribed with "Hui", "Tai Ping", and "Ben Jue". Common types of utensils include jade pots, spring bottles, lids, powder boxes, small jars, and toys. Milk white glazed porcelain is mainly used for printing decoration and is often found in bowls, bottles, and dishes. The inner bottom of the printed bowl is often decorated with plum blossom, tangled branch flowers, Pisces playing in the water, or Phoenix picking peony patterns, and the space around the mouth is filled with loop patterns. A set of phoenix and phoenix themed patterns are imprinted on both sides of the belly of the jade pot spring vase. The space outside the pattern is decorated with intertwined branches of peonies, and the bottom is surrounded by a convex Ruyi head pattern. The theme is prominent, the pattern is rigorous and exquisite, and the layout is symmetrical and bright, achieving the unity of decoration and shape, with a typical style of Ding kiln printed porcelain. This indicates that Jizhou kiln is not only innovative, but also adept at drawing on the strengths of others.

White glazed painted porcelain

Painted porcelain belongs to underglaze color, which is directly painted on the body and then coated with a thin glaze. It is closely related to the Cizhou kiln painted porcelain, which is first coated with white powder on the tire wall, then glazed and colored differently. The two seem to have a close connection between the past and the future. The body glaze of this type of painted porcelain is the same as that of milky white glazed porcelain. The main objects include jars, bottles, pots, stoves, pots, pillows, powder boxes, lids, and toys. The pattern decoration is often associated with folk customs such as auspicious and auspicious freehand paintings. Such as butterflies, fish, ducks playing in the water (in pairs), leaping deer (in Lu), magpies (in joy), and continuous patterns, as well as the branches of plum blossoms, reeds, and plum bamboo associated with painting, as well as the waves, eight seals, hexagons, and continuous arc patterns related to patterns. The various ideas of the screen are designed according to different styling needs, with prominent themes when viewed from a distance and fine patterns when viewed up close. Generally speaking, bottle necks are decorated with string and loop patterns, while the abdomen is decorated with waves or six or four arc windows. Inside, there are many patterns of leaping deer and double ducks playing in the water, while some are painted with peonies, flying butterflies, and plum blossoms, embellished with bamboo leaves or tangled flowers and plants. The composition is static and dynamic, with a sense of stability, harmony, and novelty. Canned vessels are also often adorned with arc-shaped lights, leaping deer, waves, butterflies, reeds, and lotus petal patterns; Pan Duo painted two fish playing in the water, perfectly coordinated with the shape of the objects. Pots are often decorated with patterns of flowers, butterflies, tangled branches, vines, plum blossoms, and reeds. Cup shaped vessels are often adorned with string patterns and plum butterfly patterns. The cover of the powder box is mostly patterned with strings, sunflowers, plum blossoms, reeds, geese, lotus petals, and milk nails. The edges of the porcelain pillows are mostly broadband string patterns, with three or eight arc windows inside. The windows are painted with plum, bamboo, pine branches, and sea waves patterns, and some are composed of four or six consecutive "mountain" shapes. The neck of the cauldron is adorned with intricate patterns, and the belly is a continuous curved window. The interior is decorated with plum and bamboo, lotus flowers, leaping deer, Bagua, mandarin ducks playing in the water, and the window is complemented by lotus petals, geometric patterns on four or six sides. The decoration and shape are very unified.

Black glazed porcelain

Black glazed porcelain is the colorful mountain flower of Jizhou kiln, also known as "Tianmu porcelain". It utilizes inexpensive natural black coatings and unique production techniques to create a diverse range of glaze and patterns, achieving a fresh and elegant effect, showcasing the practical art and simple style of folk art. Common utensils include bowls, plates, plates, bowls, bottles, pots, cups, tall cups, cauldrons, jars, lids, and toys. The tire material contains fine sand.

The pattern decoration of black glazed porcelain generally includes Paper Cuttings decals, color painting, glaze sprinkling, flower cutting, flower carving, flower cutting, wood leaf decals, and plain tianmu. Among them, Paper Cuttings decals and wood leaf decals can only be seen in Jizhou Kiln, which are unique in style. And "oil droplets", "rabbit hair", "sprinkling glaze" and other kiln discoloration spots are precious varieties in black glazed porcelain. According to historical records, during the Song Dynasty, tea lovers were particularly fond of rabbit hair cups. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty once said, "Green and black are the most precious colors of the pottery, and rabbit hair is the top." Recently unearthed black glazed porcelain patterns include wood leaf patterns, phoenix patterns, deer tree rabbit hair patterns, moon plum patterns, moon bamboo patterns, sprinkling glaze reeds and silver patterns, scattered plum flowers, tiger skin spots, and picking flowers, filling glaze, and folding plum branches. Various kiln discoloration spots resemble clouds, drizzle, reeds, tortoiseshell shells, tiger skin patterns, or flames of blue, blue, green, and purple. These colorful glaze decorations reflect people's memories of the beauty of nature at that time. Paper Cuttings decals are mostly used on the inner wall of the bowl, and Paper Cuttings of the same style is used. Three or four points are arranged evenly, and the mouth edge is lined with two continuous ribbons, so that the overall picture and the bowl outline are balanced and coordinated. Wood leaf pattern decoration and Paper Cuttings decals are two wonderful patterns in the decorative art of Jizhou Kiln. This type of wood leaf pattern is often decorated in black glazed bowls (cups), with single leaves, half leaves hanging on the edge of the cup, as well as double leaf Xuanluo or scattered three leaves. The black glazed painted porcelain from Jizhou Kiln is mostly plum trees, bamboo branches, flying butterflies under the moonlight, or reeds in the wind and snow, with a subtle flavor and a strong artistic conception of traditional Chinese painting, pioneering the field of glazed painted porcelain. In terms of character decoration, there are embossing, color writing of "auspicious", "memory", "fortune", "wisdom", "peace", "fanhe shi", "yin jia ge", "benjue", "shu jia ji" or Paper Cuttings "golden and jade filled", "longevity and wealth" and "happiness, longevity and well-being", which express folk customs and aspirations for good health. Black glazed flower picking, filled with glaze, decorated with broken branches and plum blossoms, welcoming snow and blooming, with a unique elegance. A concise knife technique that combines both form and spirit in the carving process.

The porcelain sculpture technique is also quite famous. Various porcelain sculptures include portraits of people, shepherd boys riding cows, chickens and ducks, cows, tigers, chess, porcelain beads, etc. The shepherd boy riding a cow is very similar to the Jingdezhen kiln shepherd boy riding a cow porcelain sculpture in the Yuan Dynasty sunken ship in South Korea. Among them, there is a painted porcelain piece with a portrait painted on it, and a wine jar placed on the side, very similar to Song paintings. These excellent decorative arts are important references for studying the Song Dynasty kiln industry, local history, and clothing, and are still a precious heritage worth inheriting and promoting in our ceramic craftsmanship to this day.

Green glazed porcelain

Green glazed porcelain belongs to low-temperature lead glaze. The main types of utensils include pots, pillows, bowls, cups, plates, long necked bottles, pots, three legged stoves, lids, and architectural decorations, with pillows being the most common. The fetal material is coarse and loose. The main patterns include string patterns, banana leaves, milk nails, tangled branches of peonies, and water wave patterns, all of which are carved or pressed under the glaze. Porcelain pillows have been found most frequently in various kilns in the north, and this type of porcelain pillow has been found in Xiushui, Linchuan, and Fengcheng in Jiangxi.

Yellow glazed porcelain

The Jizhou kiln also produces yellow glazed porcelain. The main type of vessel is a three breasted tripod furnace, with convex petal peony or water wave patterns stamped on the furnace wall.