porcelain
Art History
(noun)
A hard, white, translucent ceramic that is made by firing kaolin and other materials.
World History
Examples of porcelain in the following topics:
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The Decorative Arts under the Ming Dynasty
- As with many art forms, the Ming Dynasty saw advancement in the realm of decorative arts such as porcelain and lacquerware.
- The major production centers for porcelain items in the Ming Dynasty were Jingdezhen in the Jiangxi province and Dehua in the Fujian province.
- By the 16th century, the Dehua porcelain factories catered to European tastes by creating Chinese export porcelain.
- A blue and white porcelain vase with cloud and dragon designs, marked with the word "Longevity," Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty
- One of the 340,000 pieces of ceramics and porcelain held at The Palace Museum of the Forbidden City.
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Joseon Ceramics
- Celadon, white porcelain, and storage pottery were similar but with slight variations in glazes, incision designs, florality, and weight.
- The rise of white porcelain occurred as a result of Confucian influence and ideals, resulting in purer, less pretentious forms lacking artifice and complexity.
- White porcelains were preferred and praised more than any other porcelains during the Joseon period.
- The rise of white porcelain occurred as a result of Confucian influence and ideals, resulting in purer, less pretentious forms lacking artifice and complexity.
- This blue and white porcelain jar with pine and bamboo designs was made in 1489 during the early Joseon Dynasty.
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Ceramics under the Song Dynasty
- The city of Jingdezhen (also Jingde Zhen) has been a central place of production of ceramics since the early Han dynasty; in 1004, Emperor Zhenzong established the city as the main production hub for imperial porcelain.
- During the Song and following Yuan dynasties, porcelain made in the city and other southern Chinese kiln sites used crushed and refined pottery stones alone.
- The making of glazed and translucent porcelain and celadon wares with complex use of enamels was highly developed during the Song period, with Longquan celadon wares being particularly popular.
- Center item: A Northern or Southern Song qingbai-ware bowl with incised lotus decorations, a metal rim, and a transparent blue-toned glaze, from Jingdezhen, 12th or 13th century; Right item: A Southern Song miniature model of a granary with removable top lid and doorway, qingbai porcelain with transparent blue-toned glaze, Jingdezhen, 13th century.
- The making of glazed and translucent porcelain and celadon wares with complex use of enamels was developed further during the Song period.
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The Eastern Han Period
- The Eastern Han period was a time of reunification and prosperity that also saw the perfection of paper and porcelain.
- Another important innovation of this time was porcelain.
- Porcelain existed in previous forms for centuries, but was perfected in the Eastern Han period.
- The improvement of porcelain allowed for durable, high-quality, and attractive ceramic ware.
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Art under the Ming Dynasty
- The period was also renowned for ceramics and porcelains.
- The major production centers for porcelain were the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province and Dehua in Fujian province.
- The Dehua porcelain factories catered to European tastes by creating Chinese export porcelain by the 16th century.
- Individual potters also became known, such as He Chaozong, who became famous in the early 17th century for his style of white porcelain sculpture.
- Carved designs in lacquerware and designs glazed onto porcelain wares displayed intricate scenes similar in complexity to those in painting.
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Ceramics
- Objects made with earthenware can sometimes be as thin as bone china and other porcelains, but they are not translucent and are more easily chipped.
- Another widely used ceramic material is porcelain.
- Kaolin is the primary material from which porcelain is made, even though clay minerals might account for only a small proportion of the whole.
- Clays used for porcelain are generally of lower plasticity and are shorter than many other pottery clays.
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Islamic Ceramics
- Lusterware is a type of pottery or porcelain having an iridescent metallic glaze.
- These were still in earthenware, since porcelain was not made in Islamic countries until modern times.
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Rococo in Painting and Sculpture
- Generally, Rococo sculpture makes use of very delicate porcelain instead of marble or another heavy medium.
- Falconet was the director of a famous porcelain factory at Sevres.
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Prussia Under Frederick the Great
- He also commissioned Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, a Prussian merchant with a successful trade in trinkets, silk, taft and porcelain, to promote the trade and open a silk factory, where soon 1,500 people found employment.
- In 1763, when Gotzkowsky went bankrupt during a financial crisis, Frederick took over his porcelain factory.
- The factory was eventually turned into the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin (Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur and thus commonly known as KPM) and it operates until today.
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Painting and Sculpture
- In general, this style was best expressed through delicate porcelain sculpture rather than imposing marble statues.