FA 210 Art of the World So many technological and stylistic innovations in ceramics were made by the Chinese - a short history.

1. Chinese Dynasties (one last time)
ca.
2100
–
1600
BC
Xia
Dynasty:
(ink
made;
bronze
cas>ng)
ca.
1600
–
1050
BC
Shang
Dynasty
Ca.
1046
–
256
BCE
Zhou
Dynasty
(Scythian
influence!)
Ca.
221
–
206
BCE
Qin
Dynasty
(TerracoLa
Army;
Great
Wall)
206
BCE
–
220
AD
Han
Dynasty
(jewelry,
figure
pain>ng,
celadon)
220
–
589
AD
Six
Dynas>es
Period
(landscape
pain>ng)
581
–
618
AD
Sui
Dynasty
618
–
906
AD
Tang
Dynasty
(porcelain,
pain>ng,
woodcut)
907
–
960
AD
Five
Dynas>es
Period
960
–
1279
AD
Song
Dynasty
(porcelain,
movable
type
1041)
1279
–
1368
AD
Yuan
Dynasty
1368
–
1644
AD
Ming
Dynasty
(blue-­‐white
porcelain,
enamel)
1644
–
1912
AD
Qing
Dynasty
1912
–
1949
AD
Republic
Period
1949
–
present
People’s
Republic
of
China
(Ai
Wei
Wei)

2. Chinese Ceramics
• Ceramics
is
the
only
art
form
to
span
the
en>rety
of
Chinese
history.
• While
poLery
developed
in
many
cultures
worldwide,
no
other
civiliza>on
took
fuller
advantage
of
the
aesthe>c
poten>al
of
ceramics
as
China.
• PoLer’s
wheel
may
have
developed
independently
in
both
Mesopotamia
and
China
ca.
3000
BC
• Porcelain
invented
in
China
during
Tang
Dynasty
(AD
618
–
906)
• Chinese
ceramics
and
technical
innova>ons
have
been
influen>al
throughout
the
world.
• Pan-­‐Asian
favorite
glaze,
celadon,
invented
in
China.

3. Neolithic
earthenware
• Neolithic
ceramic
basin
(ca.
3000
BCE)
and
burial
storage
jar
(ca.
2300
BCE)

4. Chinese Ceramics
• “…in
China,
the
making
of
poLery
started
20,000
years
ago
and
never
stopped,”
according
to
Ofer
Bar-­‐Yosef,
Harvard
archaeologist
who
studied
fragments
found
in
southern
China
in
2012,
making
China
the
probable
home
of
the
inven>on
of
ceramics.

5. Paleolithic Earthenware Pottery
• Yuchanyan
Caves
• Ca.
18,000
–
16,000
BCE

6. Bronze Age – Shang and Zhou
dynasties
• Stoneware
w/incised
designs
(some
replicate
bronze
items)
• Early
celadon
glaze
• Hand-­‐coiled,
finished
on
slow
wheel
Ca.
300
BCE

7. • Allowed
for
higher
firing:
stoneware

8. Han Dynasty
• Horse
and
Rider,
ca.
180
BCE,
30”
tall
• Development
of
organized
ceramic
produc>on
• Use
of
ceramics
for
decora>ve
as
well
as
func>onal
purposes
• Grave
goods
• Earthenware,
painted

10. Han
Dynasty
Drummer,
ca. 150 BCE
• What
could
his
func>on
be?

11. Tang Dynasty
• During
this
>me,
porcelain
was
invented.
• Grave
goods
hit
peak
produc>on,
but
were
mass-­‐produced
in
lowly
earthenware,
so
were
not
highly
regarded
during
their
>me
(now
they
are
the
epitome
of
Tang
ceramics!)
• Cobalt
blue
glaze
developed
• Perfected
celadon
glazes
• Produced
work
for
export

12. Tang Mingqi (grave goods), 8th
century

13. Sancai
“3-color”
tripod
incense
burner
• 3
northern
kilns
produced
sancai
wares
for
burial
trade;
lead-­‐based
glazes
mixed
with
copper
(green)
and
iron
(amber/brown).
Glaze
tended
to
run
so
this
quality
was
exploited
in
exuberant
form.

14. Sancai (or San-t’sai) earthenware
Tang horse, 8th century

15. Tang stoneware

16. Beginnings of
porcelain, ca.
800 AD
• Refined
form,
simple
white
color,
finely
made
• Set
the
standard
for
ceramics
• Exported
to
Middle
East,
where
Tang
poLery
revolu>onized
the
ceramic
industry.

17. This is why we say “fine china”!

18. Sung Dynasty (960 -1279 AD)
• Subtle
by
comparison
to
prior
and
later
ceramics,
Sung
Dynasty
ceramics
represent
the
pinnacle
of
quality.
•
Minimalist
sophis>ca>on
and
excellence
in
every
formal
aspect:
shape,
decora>on,
color,
glaze,
and
technique.
• So
highly
valued
that
they
were
used
to
pay
taxes
to
the
emperor!
• 5
kilns
permiLed
to
produce
this
ware.

20. • Simple
Sung
teabowls
like
this
Jian
ware
influenced
Japanese
aesthe>c
and
tea
house
culture.

21. • Celadon
glazes
were
perfected
during
this
>me.

22. Yuan dynasty (1279 -1368 AD)
• For
the
first
>me,
China
was
under
foreign
control
–
the
Mongols.
• Celadon
ware
and
porcelain
painted
in
blue
underglaze
spread
throughout
Asia,
deeply
influencing
other
cultures.
• More
emphasis
on
figura>ve
work.
• Porcelain
plate,
ca.
1350

23. • Celadon
BodhisaLva,
ca.
1300
AD

24. Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644)
• Reestablishment
of
Chinese
rule
led
to
ar>s>c
styles
dictated
by
royal
court.
• Bureau
of
Design
ensured
uniform
standards
of
decora>on
for
produc>on
in
ceramics
and
other
decora>ve
arts.
• Under
the
vast
Mongol
empire
of
the
Yuan
dynasty,
Chinese
ceramics
influenced
all
of
Asia;
in
turn,
China
was
influenced
by
Islamic
world.
• Ming
ceramics
are
the
most
famous
and
influen>al
of
Chinese
ceramics
–
heavily
exported
to
West
where
they
influenced
the
ceramic
produc>on
of
en>re
na>ons.

25. Jar, Ming dynasty, ca. 1430 AD
• Expert
brushwork
of
underglaze
on
pure
white
porcelain.
• One
of
the
most
typical
forms

26. More
examples
of
Ming
poLery

27. Jar, late Ming dynasty, ca. 1522
• Blue
underglaze
remains
• Overglaze
of
various
colors
make
these
polychrome
• Technique
called
Wucai
(“five-­‐
color”)
decora>on

28. Influence on ceramics in other countries
Iraq
9th
century
Tang
dynasty

29. Ming and
Ching
export ware

30. • Leq,
Ming,
1400s
Iznik,
Turkey,
1550
-­‐
70

32.
Leq,
ar>st
Ai
Wei
Wei
drops
Han
vase
(1995);
Right,
Zhou
vase
sold
at
auc>on
for
$735,650
(2012)

33. Ai Weiwei exhibit in Miami, 2014

34. • hLps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6T7WOECCCRY

35. Cai Guo-Qiang – contemporary artist
• hLps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CcXrpCIl2
• hLps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FPV8zdiySlI