Jade and porcelain are products with Chinese characteristics and are historical witnesses to the high development of material and spiritual civilization in ancient China.
Song Dynasty Ru kiln azure daffodil basin Song-Liao hollow dragon pattern plate Taipei National Palace Museum
Chinese jade was born 8,000 years ago, and the oracle bone is written in two examples, like a string of jade in a rope. Jin Wenyu wrote three examples: like three jade concatenations, omitting the upper and lower knots; inherited from the oracle bone; like a string of jade in a half-circle, without losing the shape of jade.
Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty said in his "Commentaries on the Interpretation of Texts": "Jade, the beauty of stone... Like the Connection of Three Jades. ”
Glyph evolution of jade
Porcelain, from the watts, refers to glazed pottery. Jade and porcelain both originated in the Neolithic Age, the ancestors found jade when grinding stone tools and processed it into jade, and porcelain was developed from pottery, archaeological excavations have proved that ancestors around the world can create pottery independently, but our ancestors took the lead in inventing porcelain, which is inseparable from the influence of jade civilization. (The earliest porcelain in the true sense is the porcelain jar in the following picture)
Eastern Han Dynasty blue glaze water ripple four series of jars Shangyu County Cultural Relics Management Committee
Jade is a stone rather than a stone, beyond its own material attributes, and has been endowed with a strong and heavy spiritual attribute, which has a great influence on the politics, economy, etiquette, and aesthetics of Chinese society. Jade of different eras also showed very different styles, jade developed to the Song Dynasty, after five generations and ten countries of jade low tide, by the Song Dynasty civil official system, the impact of the urban economy, jade development into an important warming period, jade carving industry and jade market came into being.
White jade phoenix ornament Song Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
Mature porcelain appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, dominated by black porcelain and celadon porcelain, celadon glaze color blue and yellow, thin and moist, to the Three Kingdoms and two Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties period, the tire quality of porcelain more and more firm, glaze color more moist, Tang and Song Dynasty porcelain further to the external characteristics of jade and spiritual endoplasm closer, especially in the Song Dynasty, jade and porcelain developed to a brilliant period, the two in the characteristics, aesthetic tendencies and spiritual connotation of the connection is more close.
Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun, Ding kiln porcelain
The main characteristics and aesthetic tendencies of jade and porcelain in the Song Dynasty
Secularization is the main feature of jade in the Song Dynasty, although due to the passage to Xinjiang was blocked by the Western Xia, making it not easy to obtain jade dominated by Hetian jade, but the rise of folk jade carving and the development of the commodity economy made jade begin to be commercialized and popular, jade has not only been enjoyed by the royal family and nobles, but also entered the civic class.
Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum, Shijing Folk Customs Section
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, the jade of the Song Dynasty was more abundant in terms of quantity and category, and the number of jade for decoration increased.
In the Song Dynasty, the influential scholar-doctor class inevitably developed a strong interest in jade, and integrated other fields such as literature and painting artistic pursuits and aesthetic tastes into jade, which influenced song yu's style.
Green jade water pattern pen holder Quzhou City Museum White Jade Wulun Tu inlay Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
Paying attention to realism is another major feature of Song Yu, the jade carving figures and animals of the Song Dynasty are mainly round carvings, and the knife techniques are skilled, the shapes are vivid and vivid.
The Palace Museum holds the Song Dynasty holding lotus jade boy and green and white jade lying deer
Fish, geese, geese and other works are more common, and there are some floral themes, the lines are euphemistic and smooth, the use of clever colors, fresh and elegant, both shape and god, by the Song Dynasty flower and bird painting is deeply influenced, but also integrated into the literati interest.
White jade fish lotus pendant Palace Museum White jade flower bird pattern ring Song Dynasty jade art museum
Song Dynasty porcelain also developed to a brilliant period under the influence of developed economy and culture, and the Kilns of the Song Dynasty had many kilns and different tire glazes, but they all clearly had the characteristics and beauty of jade. Judging from the texture of Song porcelain, the official kiln and the Ru kiln have been glazed many times, forming a dignified and deep texture, "the glaze juice is as thick as a pile of grease", similar to the jade that looks like gelatin.
Southern Song Dynasty official kiln powder green rectangular basin Song Dynasty Ru kiln azure glaze bowl Palace Museum
The oil droplets of jun porcelain, longquan, black porcelain, rabbit millimeter, tortoiseshell, etc. are not transparent glass glazes at a glance, but emulsion glazes and crystal glazes that can reveal texture. Song Dynasty porcelain is generally dense with dense fetal bone, high burning temperature, sonorous buckle and warm glaze. From the glaze color, jingdezhen's blue and white porcelain has the highest similarity with jade, and is known as "fake jade".
Jingdezhen Qingbai glaze reverse flow pot Forbidden City Museum Qingyu Lotus Bud Bottle Quzhou City Museum
Although the Song Dynasty Jianzhan was black glazed, it was often used as a metaphor for jade, such as Fan Zhongyan's "Gold Milling Green Dust Flying, Purple Jade Ou Heart Snow Rising", Yuan Shuwen's "Fighting Tea" in "Newer products every year, old Jade Ou Taste" all refer to Jiandian with jade. In the Song Dynasty, the texture of the rabbit milli was often seen in the construction cup, and the Song Huizong called the silver and white rabbit milli a "jade milli".
The Palace Museum houses the black glazed rabbit cup of the Song Dynasty kiln
From the ornamentation, song dynasty porcelain ornamentation is rich in themes, flowers are one of the main decorative contents, dragons, phoenixes, cranes, fish, birds, children are also common themes, these themes also appear in the Song Dynasty jade, the overall bias is exquisite and realistic.
The Palace Museum collects Song Dynasty green and white glazed carved flower baby play pattern bowls, fixed kiln printed dragon pattern plates
Stylistically, Song Dynasty jade and porcelain all pay attention to the imitation of natural scenery and animals, whether it is the azure color of Ru kiln, the plum green of Longquan, the lake blue of Yingqing, all of which are the expression and refinement of natural beauty, and the glaze color of Song porcelain also has a lot of connections with animals, the tortoiseshell pattern of Jizhou kiln black glaze, the rabbit and partridge spots of the black glaze of the kiln, are named after the characteristics of animals, showing the aesthetic taste of advocating nature.
Song Dynasty Jizhou kiln tortoiseshell pattern Tianmu tea bowl Song Dynasty partridge spot Jianzhan Museum of Art in Japan
It can be seen that whether in terms of vision, hearing, touch or overall experience, Song Dynasty porcelain already has many characteristics of jade.
The antique phenomenon of jade and porcelain in the Song Dynasty
Antique jade has become popular since the Song Dynasty, the so-called antique, imitation is basically the jade of the Shang Zhou To Han, which is different from the modern concept of antique jade that is used by counterfeiting to make huge profits. The reason is that the Song Dynasty's Shanggu atmosphere is strong, the rise of epigraphy, literati scholars are keen on the collection and study of ancient jade, in this thick ancient and reverential ideological environment, jade antique style prevails, common song imitation of Jade, Song imitation Han Dynasty Sword, Song imitation Han Dynasty Han Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum has a collection of antique jade swords and jade stones
Song Dynasty antique jade is not a complete reproduction of the jade of the previous generation, but also combined with the Unique Skills and Aesthetics of the Song Dynasty, it has developed and innovated in materials, shapes and ornaments, and has become a unique Song Dynasty antique jade.
Green and white jade rope pattern antique bottle Song National Palace Museum in Taipei
Was there an antique phenomenon in Song Dynasty porcelain? In the Longquan kiln in the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, there were many utensils imitating the shape of ancient bronze and jade, such as bristles, gourds, pots, etc., imitation jade, song porcelain on the one hand to meet the needs of ceremonial sacrifice activities, on the other hand, antique porcelain is also used for daily use and appreciation.
The Palace Museum has a collection of Song Dynasty Ge kiln Qun-style bottles, Jun kiln moon white glaze out of the statue
For example, the Common Ding-style Furnace in Song Porcelain can be said to be an imitation of the bronze cooker used for cooking in the Shang Zhou Dynasty, but its volume is significantly reduced, and it can be used as an offering vessel before the Buddha, and also for daily incense burning. It can be considered that the phenomenon of antiques in Song porcelain is an inheritance of ancient classic vessels, similar to the antiques of Song Dynasty jade, and related to Song Dynasty epigraphy, antiquities and retro trends.
Xiu Nei Siguan kiln Ding-style furnace Southern Song Dynasty Hangzhou Tiger Cave kiln site excavated
If we have to discuss the retro atmosphere in Song Dynasty porcelain, we can not only seek examples from porcelain such as bristle stoves and yao. The Song Dynasty jianzhan also had more characteristics of primitive porcelain, such as high iron content in the tire soil, unstable glaze color and body color, often wax tear marks and polyglaze phenomena, and only half glaze.
Southern Song Dynasty Jianzhan British Museum
Many of the new techniques on Song Dynasty ceramics were not expressed in Jianzhan, but continued the elements of primitive porcelain and became popular throughout Song Dynasty society. From Jianzhan, a unique Song style porcelain, you can see the retro undercurrent surging in Song porcelain.
Character symbols of Song Dynasty jade and porcelain
The Book of Rites moralizes jade according to its characteristics such as color, texture, transparency, and the sound of tapping, and is said to be the "eleven virtues" of jade. Confucius also used jade virtue to regulate the moral behavior standards of gentlemen, "The husband of the past, the gentleman is better than the jade." ”
Confucius on Jade Virtue
The spiritual character of jade has been highlighted and regulated. The Confucian emphasis on jade has cultivated the Chinese of jade worship, jade is an instrument that carries confucian ideas of benevolence and virtue, and is also a symbol of Confucian gentlemen.
Qingyu Arch Figure Song Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
Porcelain in the development process, showing a clear jade tendency, the reasons are many, the improvement of porcelain firing technology, so that porcelain further to high temperature, fine, moist development, firing also intends to burn jade-like porcelain, so that both to make up for the lack of jade, but also to meet people's love of jade psychology.
Longquan kiln mane incense burner Southern Song Dynasty Sichuan Song Porcelain Museum
Literati inkers often use the perspective of judging jade when appreciating porcelain, Yue kiln celadon is called "Yue porcelain like jade" by Lu Yu, Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain has the description of "color is better than Qiongjiu", porcelain after having the characteristics of jade, but also further absorbed the spiritual connotation of jade.
Northern Song Dynasty Yue kiln celadon powder box Shaoxing Yueguo Culture Museum Jingdezhen qingbai glazed lid box Palace Museum
Although "porcelain virtue" is not clearly defined like Jade Virtue, it potentially continues the quality of jade, and Song Porcelain highlights the simple character and remote artistic conception on the basis of the original Jade Virtue.
Official kiln blue glaze cup Song Boston Museum of Fine Arts
As an important vessel for ordering tea, Jianzhan is called "Tao Baowen" in the Song Dynasty's "Tea Set Tuzan" of the old man of Zhen'an, "the name goes to Yue, the word is thick, and the number rabbit garden guest". The old man praised Jianzhan: "Out of the riverside without suffering, the image of longitude and latitude, the principle of rigidity and softness, bingqi in the middle, humble self,no appearance, high secret cabinet, it is advisable to be unashamed." Jianzhan is located in the Secret Cabinet, which is the official name of the Song Dynasty, and mainly manages the original books and inkblots of ancient paintings of the court. The word is self-thickness, and the words in the Analects are "self-respecting and thin to blame others." "Jiandian has a strong Confucian color in the description of the old man in Jian'an, highlighting the humble and self-respecting quality of Jianzhan and personifying porcelain.
Song Dynasty Jianzhan Tokyo National Museum
Whether it is Song Yu or Song porcelain, it is endowed with moral requirements and has a symbolic meaning of character.
Song porcelain is dominated by monochrome glaze, after the Yuan Dynasty, blue and white and various colored glazes began to show their skills, and the ornamentation on porcelain tended to be gorgeous and prosperous.
From the overall trend, from the original porcelain of the Shang Dynasty to the famous Yue kiln of the Tang Dynasty, the texture of the porcelain is approaching jade. After the Yuan Dynasty, the color and gold on porcelain became more and more diverse, and the richness of its characteristics has greatly exceeded that of jade.
The porcelain of the Song Dynasty is different from the grace and magnificence of the Tang Dynasty, and it is also different from the gorgeous and colorful after the Yuan Dynasty, and is closer to the aesthetic conception and spiritual connotation of jade.
Southern Song Dynasty official kiln green glaze bowl Tokyo National Museum Song Dynasty Topaz pen holder Taipei National Palace Museum
Because the monochrome glaze pays more attention to the natural change of the glaze color, the Jun kilns of the Song Dynasty have very special kiln changes, and the kilns also have open pieces that are not controlled by man, and the interest of Tiancheng is quite obvious in Song porcelain, which is in line with the Taoist idea of conforming to nature, and has the same pursuit as the jade that collects the essence of the sun and the moon in the mountains and rivers.
brief summary
Song Dynasty porcelain and jade are used for ceremonial activities, ornamental tasting and daily use, etc., the development of Song Dynasty porcelain and jade, by the entire Song Dynasty society of the economic politics and cultural trends of thought deeply influenced, jade culture and porcelain culture in turn infiltrated all aspects of Song Dynasty society.
Dingyao white glaze flower mouth plate Asian Art Museum Qingyu Kuikou wash Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
Jade and porcelain, as two important artifacts in song dynasty society that are related to lifestyle and contain spiritual attributes, show many similar qualities, and even reach a state of high fit beyond other dynasties.