Celadon

Celadon is a type of greenware pottery. It gets its name from the celadon glaze that is applied to it. Celadon is valued in many countries, in particular China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand. This porcelainlike stoneware was developed in China during the Six Dynasties period (220–589). It made its way to Egypt, India, and Persia during the Tang dynasty (618–907) and later through most of Asia. Celadon reached Europe during the fourteenth century.

To achieve the celadon effect, a potter covers the stoneware with a liquid clay wash, called a slip, which contains a large amount of iron, before glazing it. When it is fired, the iron in the slip and the glaze interact, resulting in a shade of green.

Its popularity in Asia was due at least in part to a belief that if poisoned food were placed in a celadon dish, the dish would break or change color. Celadon was particularly prized in China because of its coloring, which is similar to jade.

Brief History

The earliest known pottery originated in Asia. Ceramics advanced from the simplest clay pots, which were fired in bonfires, to exquisite and delicate ceremonial vessels.

The earliest celadon was Yue ware, which was developed between 206 B.C.E. and 220 C.E. The stoneware glaze was a brownish green or olive. As the technique was improved, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang Provinces became known for their celadon stoneware.

Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang Provinces are located in what was the ancient Yue kingdom. Celadon wares were developed in this kingdom. The early wares created in Yue were olive or apple green, and are known today as proto-Yue. The artisans were still perfecting techniques to prevent oxidation; therefore, many pieces from the third century have yellow patches and other irregularities. By the fourth century, the glazes were more uniform and thicker. Few pieces were decorated because the rich glazing, with its delicate crackling, was regarded as beautiful in its own right. Some artists added brown spots to their pieces, however, and one group of potters began specializing in brown glazes. Potters in other regions worked to duplicate celadon pottery, and by the sixth century, celadon was being produced in kilns all across southeast China.

The popularity of celadon led potters to copy vessels produced in other kilns to such an extent that it became nearly impossible to distinguish between wares made in different regions of China. The exception to this is the quality of celadon in north Zhejiang, which remained far beyond what was produced in outlying kilns. The most desirable celadon was uniformly green, in the shade of nephritic jade, and with a non-glassy surface. Kilns far from Zhejiang often produced glassy finishes. Some kilns specialized in certain shapes, such as tea bowls or pedestal dishes.

As potters became more skilled, they eliminated the brown imperfections that resulted from iron oxide in the clay. They also learned to move from a coarse crackle to the prized fine crackle. On some Zhejiang wares, crackling is so fine that the surface appears smooth and the color uniform. Double crackling—producing both coarse and fine crackles in a piece—appears to have been a popular design choice in a few areas because some kilns specialized in producing such effects.

Impact

By the eighth century, northern kilns focused exclusively on producing white pottery. Although interest in celadon waned somewhat, it continued to be very popular in Zhejiang. As tea, and in particular tea ware, became more prevalent, celadon production experienced a resurgence. The ceramics industry in China grew significantly from the sixth to the ninth centuries. Transoceanic trade expanded during this time as well, and the growing market for green-, white-, and black-glazed ware spurred production of the high-quality ceramics. After the fourteenth century, however, most kilns disappeared; production was centered in Jingdezhen, in the southeast province of Jiangxi, where blue and white glazes dominated.

Some fine celadon pottery found in the Henan Province was made 3,700 years ago—about 3,000 years before similarly sophisticated kilns emerged in Europe. The development of celadon indicates the skill and advanced techniques of potters in China were far ahead of those in other parts of the world.

Widespread trade in Chinese ceramics likely began about the eighth century. The fine wares of China influenced potters in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, as well as in the Islamic world. Eventually, Chinese pottery influenced artisans in Europe and the Americas. The pottery that was first exported to Europe was produced during the Song dynasty (960–1279).

A large amount of celadon ware was produced in Japan during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Japanese artisans copied the glazing techniques as well as the styles of pieces of the Chinese. In many cases, the creators of pieces developed styles of combining celadon glaze with blue and white glazes in the same pieces. When a piece is a solid color, the emphasis is on the shape. The Japanese favored colors and patterns in ceramics. Use of celadon as another pigment used to provide surface ornamentation opened the door to greater decoration. The number of kilns in Japan, and their presence in all parts of the country, increased late in the eighteenth century. The popularity of blue and white ceramics meant that most kilns produced very little celadon. Only kilns in the Sanda area of Hyogo Prefecture produced any measurable quantity of celadon. This was likely due to the local Toishidani clay, on which the celadon glaze produced the desirable deep green color.

The most prized Japanese celadon, which was produced between 1192 and 1333, is known as Old Seto. The glaze is commonly oxidized to a color described as "dead leaf." Others were black or olive green.

The technological developments of Chinese kilns greatly influenced the ceramics produced on the Korean peninsula. Celadons of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) range from bluish green to putty color, although gray-green was the most commonly produced hue. Celadon was the predominant ceramic of this period.

Korean art and aesthetics were affected by the introduction of celadon. The green ceramics were favored by the ruling classes. Color became important, and artists began to focus on decoration and shape of pieces as well as functionality. In the twelfth century, Goryeo artisans created pieces that were uniquely Korean. Many Korean celadons were first incised with designs, both by hand and with stamps. Then a black and white slip was put into the designs before glazing. This made the inlaid decoration stand out against the celadon glaze.

Bibliography

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