Yuxi Kiln

Author: Ma Wendou / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The development of Chinese ceramics has a history of over 10,000 years, or even longer. The production and use of ceramic wares hold a special significance for the formation of Chinese civilization. Driven by socio-economic and cultural progress, ancient Chinese ceramics have become a shared subject of study in various humanities and natural sciences, giving rise to a large number of ceramic researchers and collectors. Both professional and amateur enthusiasts of ceramics hope for a specialized, illustrated monograph that reflects the findings of ancient kiln sites while also offering exquisite images for appreciation. This is also the original intention of the compilers of The Great Series of Famous Kilns in Chinese History. The Yuksi Kiln is one of the books in this series. It is professional, high-quality, and serves as a reference material for studying the Yuksi Kiln. This series is a collection of specialized, illustrated monographs that reflect the history of ancient ceramic production while also featuring beautiful images for appreciation. Five titles have been published so far: Ru Kiln, Junde Kiln, Hongzhou Kiln, Jizhou Yonghe Kiln, and Yuksi Kiln. All are written by experts and scholars who have led or participated in the excavations, with a focus on incorporating and reflecting the latest archaeological findings. Most of the photographs in the books are firsthand materials taken from actual artifacts and sites, and are published for the first time.
Yunnan ceramics were introduced from the Central Plains and developed into a unique ethnic craft by integrating with local culture. The two largest kilns in Yunnan are the Yuksi Kiln and the Jianshui Kiln. The former has ceased operation, while the latter has shifted to producing purple clay wares and is now one of China's four major types of pottery, known as Jianshui Pottery. Based on the artifacts unearthed from the kiln sites, the Yuksi Kiln produced a variety of wares, including celadon-glazed porcelain, brown-glazed porcelain, celadon-decorated porcelain with impressed or incised patterns, celadon-brown-painted porcelain, celadon-decorated porcelain with underglaze blue, and celadon underglaze blue porcelain. The products of the Yuksi Kiln have a rustic and sturdy shape, simple lines, and a relatively thick body. In terms of form, the main products include bowls, plates, cups, pots, jars, bottles, and incense burners. Simple forms like bowls and plates have higher production volumes, while complex forms are produced in smaller quantities. The Yuksi Kiln primarily imitated porcelain styles from the Central Plains, with fewer self-innovated designs.
Although the underglaze blue porcelain of the Yuksi Kiln fully adopted the technological practices of Jingdezhen, it stands out with its rough shapes, simple yet vivid patterns, deep underglaze blue color, and a relatively large number of surviving pieces. The discovery of the Yuksi Kiln demonstrates the close ties between ancient Yunnan and the Central Plains, highlighting that Yunnan's local culture is an integral part of Chinese culture and fills the in the history of ancient ceramic production in the Yunnan-Guizhou region. This book uses hundreds of precious photographs taken from the kiln site to present a world of Yuksi Kiln products, providing valuable firsthand materials for the study and identification of the kiln.
Based on the unearthed artifacts, the Yuksi Kiln produced a variety of wares, including celadon-glazed porcelain, brown-glazed porcelain, celadon-decorated porcelain with impressed or incised patterns, celadon-brown-painted porcelain, celadon-decorated porcelain with underglaze blue, and celadon underglaze blue porcelain. The body of the Yuksi Kiln products is a mixture of kaolin and porcelain clay (pulverized porcelain stone). The clay is not thoroughly refined, with sand inclusions and pores, and has a high water absorption rate on the cross-section, appearing mostly gray or light gray. The celadon glaze is a high-calcium glaze, ranging in color from yellowish-green to greenish-blue. The glaze is applied thickly, with noticeable variations in thickness, often showing cracks and bubbles of varying sizes. The glaze does not reach the bottom, applied through dipping or brushing, leaving traces of flowing glaze at the foot. The brown-glazed wares are applied in the same way as the celadon glaze, differing only in color. The appearance of the glaze surface is identical to that of the celadon glaze, with the color difference resulting from higher levels of iron oxide in the glaze and slightly longer firing temperatures and durations.
Celadon-decorated porcelain with impressed or incised patterns is made by pressing or carving patterns onto the wet body with molds or bamboo knives, then covered with celadon glaze and fired. In terms of craftsmanship and patterns, the celadon-decorated porcelain of the Yuksi Kiln is heavily influenced by Longquan Kiln and is similar to the Qinzhou Kiln in Guangxi and the Qionglai Kiln in Sichuan. Celadon-brown-painted porcelain is created by applying iron-containing materials to the porcelain body as paint, then covered with celadon glaze and fired. In the fragments discovered from the Yuksi Kiln, the patterns on the celadon-brown-painted porcelain are relatively simple, with some so rudimentary as to be unclear, possibly due to the underdeveloped technology of brown-painted porcelain firing.
Celadon-decorated porcelain with incised patterns and underglaze blue is carved onto the wet body, left to dry, then decorated with underglaze blue patterns, and finally covered with celadon glaze for firing. Visually, it appears more layered, with patterns that are more vivid, natural, and three-dimensional. However, this type of ware is rarely found and has not been observed in underglaze blue porcelain from other regions. It is only produced by the Yuksi Kiln and Jianshui Kiln, making it a unique creation of Yunnan ceramics.
Celadon underglaze blue porcelain is one of the more abundant and typical products of the Yuksi Kiln. It is painted with cobalt on the body and then covered with celadon glaze for firing. Due to the high levels of iron oxide and manganese oxide in the local cobalt, and the lack of fine firing, the underglaze blue color appears deep blue or blackish-gray. Combined with the celadon glaze, some underglaze blue areas turn black. This is a result of the Yuksi Kiln's backward technology, but it has also become a distinctive feature of its underglaze blue porcelain.
The products of the Yuksi Kiln have a rustic and sturdy shape, simple lines, and a relatively thick body. This is partly due to the aesthetic preferences of artisans and consumers, and partly because the quality of the clay is not high, making thin forms prone to deformation. In terms of form, the main products include bowls, plates, cups, pots, jars, bottles, and incense burners. Generally, simpler forms like plates and bowls have higher production volumes, while more complex forms are produced in smaller quantities. The Yuksi Kiln primarily imitated porcelain styles from the Central Plains, with fewer self-innovated designs.
(1) Bowls There are five types of bowls. The first type has an open mouth, curved belly, and ring foot, similar to the bowls of the mid-Ming Dynasty in Jingdezhen, but differing in that the ring foot is flat-cut while Jingdezhen uses double-sided sloping cuts, resulting in a sharper foot end. The second type has a straight mouth, deep curved belly, and ring foot, with a flat-cut foot end. The third type has a straight mouth, curved belly, and flat ring foot. Generally, this type of bowl has an earlier date in the Central Plains, resembling the celadon bowls of the Tang Dynasty Yue Kiln, but in the Yuksi Kiln, they were unearthed from strata dating to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, indicating a later era. The fourth type has a slanted mouth, slanted straight belly, and a on the belly-foot junction indicating the foot, with a flat foot. The fifth type is a chicken heart-shaped bowl with carved chrysanthemum petal patterns, similar in shape to the Ming Yongle chicken heart bowls, but differing in that the ring foot also has a flat cut and the outer wall is carved with straight lines to mimic chrysanthemum patterns. Among these types, the first and second are mostly underglaze blue porcelain, while the third, fourth, and fifth are mostly celadon porcelain.