Jin and Tang porcelain [Fine]

Author: Li Huibing, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: Chinese ceramic craftsmanship is renowned worldwide for its long history. As early as the Neolithic Age, people began using pottery. With the development of production, porcelain emerged, with its earliest origins traceable to primitive celadon from the Shang and Zhou periods, and later to celadon from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Subsequently, Chinese porcelain production underwent different stages of development, from celadon to white porcelain, and from white porcelain to colored porcelain. The rich and diverse porcelain has earned China the title of "Porcelain Kingdom" in the world. For inherited ceramic artifacts, scientifically determining their era, origin, and craftsmanship is a key research topic in ceramic studies. For this reason, since the 1950s, the Palace Museum has conducted surveys of ancient kiln sites nationwide, and after decades of effort, has accumulated extensive research materials. At the same time, it has cross-referenced unearthed porcelain from tombs with specimen data as scientific evidence for dating. As a result, the Palace Museum's ceramic history research has made breakthroughs, resolving numerous issues regarding the dating, kiln origins, and craftsmanship of inherited ceramics. In the 60 volumes of Treasures of the Palace Museum, nine volumes are dedicated to ceramics, from which the latest research findings of the museum will be disclosed, along with highlights of its collections. This volume is Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties. Although few artifacts from the Qing imperial collection are included, the selected pieces are highly representative, with many fine examples. They not only compensate for the lack of Qing imperial holdings but also systematically reflect the overall development of porcelain during the Jin and Tang periods. Since Five Dynasties porcelain is closely related to Tang porcelain, it has been included in this volume. Tang sancai, though technically a type of pottery, is an important part of Tang ceramics and has also been selected for this volume.