During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dehua kiln white porcelain was very rich in local characteristics, and was famous for "ivory white", which was not only loved by people at home, but also sold well overseas, and was known as "Chinese white". The Beijing Art Museum has a collection of white porcelain from Dehua kiln in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is rich in shape and exquisite in production, and has important data research value.
Cups, bowls, and bowls in a variety of shapes
Dehua kiln white porcelain cups, bowls, various shapes, there are imitation rhino horn cups, oval cups, round cups, octagonal cups, flower cups, milk cups, fair cups and lotus leaf-shaped bowls. Among them, there are two kinds of imitation rhino horn-shaped cups, mainly flat-bottomed dragon and tiger cups and pointed mountain rock cups. The Dragon and Tiger Cup is named after the dragon and tiger stripes pasted on the body of the cup, and it is also called the Merlot Cup because it is also pasted with plastic cranes, deer, plum blossoms and other patterns. The shape of the mountain rock cup is oval, open, lean belly, and pointed bottom, and it is named because it resembles the shape of a rock.
Ming Dynasty imitation rhino horn shaped cup
Ming Dynasty imitation rhino horn-shaped mountain rock cup
The plum blossom cup is named because the cup body is decorated with plum blossom patterns. The front of the cup is stacked with strong plum branches and blooming plum blossoms, and the bottom of the cup is supported by dried plums, which is cleverly designed and quite creative. In addition, because the back of some cups is also stacked with orchids, ganoderma lucidum, flower butterflies and other patterns, so there are orchid cups, Ganoderma lucidum cups, and flower butterfly cups.
Ming Dynasty plum blossom cup
The Fair Cup is specially introduced in Feng Xianming's "Illustrated Dictionary of Ancient Chinese Ceramics": "It is made of the siphon principle in physics, and has the educational effect of advocating full loss and humility." "Observing this fair cup in the collection of the Beijing Art Museum, the carcass is white, the glaze is delicate, and the quality is like clotted cream. The body of the cup is in the shape of a five-petal plum blossom, and a statue of an Arhat stands in the center, and there is a hollow tube in its body leading to the bottom of the cup. When the wine is poured into the glass, the wine will reach the chest of the statue and will no longer overflow, otherwise it will leak out of the leaky hole at the bottom of the glass, which is ingeniously designed and scientific and practical. Because it is often used for wine ordering, it is also called "wine order cup".
Qing Dynasty fair cup
Qing Kangxi lotus high foot bowl
The lotus leaf-shaped high-foot bowl imitates the shape of flowers and leaves, the main body is like a branch of lotus leaves upwards and closes together, surrounded by blooming lotus flowers, budding lotus buds, lush lotus leaves and a pair of mandarin ducks closely followed, the idea is ingenious, just like a small scene of lotus pond, the decoration is a comprehensive use of molding, stacking, carving, carving and other techniques, skillful and exquisite, giving people a complex and gorgeous feeling.
Dignified and elegant furnaces and bottles
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the shape of the white porcelain furnace of Dehua kiln was mainly imitated from the bronze style of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the collection, all of them are boiler-type furnaces, or with lion's head ears, or with dragon ears. Some of the furnace is full of glaze, and some are unglazed and exposed. Some of them also adopted the firing process of the nail interval stacking firing method, although this method increased the output, but also left obvious firing marks, that is, nail marks. Typical such as this late Ming and early Qing Dynasty lion head ear furnace, the inner bottom is full of glaze, but the center is neatly distributed with four circular protrusions, and the end of the protrusion is unglazed and reveals the true color of the carcass.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the lion's head ear was boiled
Inner basilic ramus nail marks
There are several styles of bottles, including long-necked double-live ring-ear bottles, shop-head ear tube bottles, Panlong garlic bottles and Zhumei Shiwen animal ear square bottles. Among them, the long-necked double-live ring-ear bottle is shaped as a round lip, straight mouth, straight neck, sloping shoulders, hanging abdomen, high circle foot outward, a live ring-ear on both sides of the neck, the middle of the abdomen protrudes and is decorated with a circle of back lines, the overall shape and decoration are similar to the amphora popular in Jingdezhen kiln since the middle of the Ming Dynasty.
Qing Dynasty double-live ear bottle
The head of the ear tube bottle, the shape of the round lip, extravagant mouth, short neck, slip shoulders, long cylindrical abdomen, flat bottom, the maximum abdominal diameter in the shoulder, the shoulder on both sides of the symmetrical pile of the first ear, between the two shop head molded a circle of back lines. Its shape and decoration style are similar to the blue and white elephant leg vase of Jingdezhen kiln in the same period, and have distinctive characteristics of the times.
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the first ear tube bottle was laid
Qing Kangxi garlic bottle
Panlong garlic head bottle originated from the pottery shape of the Qin and Han dynasties. It is named because the mouth of the bottle resembles a garlic head. The Beijing Art Museum collection of this Dehua kiln white porcelain garlic vase in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty is a typical representative, the fetus is fine white, the glaze is shiny, and the glaze is slightly yellow, which is commonly referred to as "ivory white". The shape is round lips, garlic mouth, slender neck, sloping shoulders, round belly, circle feet, and feet are exposed. The neck and shoulders are stacked with a dragon, the dragon mouth is attached to the flower branches, hovering on the bottleneck, the style is similar to the Jingdezhen kiln products, but there are differences, indicating that the Dehua kiln absorbs and integrates other porcelain kiln technology at the same time, and constantly carries out new creations, thus forming its own unique product appearance.
Graceful Guanyin, Bodhisattva statue
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the art of white porcelain sculpture in Dehua kiln developed to a very high level. According to Song Yingxing's book "Tiangong Kaiwu" in the Ming Dynasty, it is recorded: "Dehua kiln is only used to burn porcelain immortals, delicate figures, and playware, which is not practical. (Note: Yingxing of the Ming and Song Dynasties, Tiangong Kaiwu, China Social Publishing House, 2004, p. 221.) The collection of Guanyin and Bodhisattva statues are mainly beautifully made, vivid, and have both form and spirit, all of which are shaped by the graceful posture and compassion of the legendary Guanyin and Bodhisattva with simple artistic language and unique aesthetic perspective.
The statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Ming Dynasty
Send the statue of Guanyin, in a ruyi sitting posture. She wears a women's hood, a shawl, and a robe. Holding a child in his arms should be a boy in terms of image. The boy sits on Guanyin's left leg, and Guanyin's hands make a gesture of sending out. The Guanyin robe covers a round rosette, and clusters of lotus leaves, lotus canopies and half-opened lotus flowers gush out of the water, holding up the Guanyin throne in an ingenious way. The whole body is glazed with white glaze, and the glaze color is moist.
Ming Dynasty auspicious cloud Guanyin Bodhisattva statue
Xiangyun Guanyin statue, standing posture. Guanyin stepped on the rolling auspicious clouds, his face was round, his eyelids drooped, and his expression was serene. She wears a scarf and a long skirt. The long skirt hung down to the feet, exposing one foot, and the jacket was half a long robe. The chest is slightly exposed, and the ruyi-shaped jewels and beads are worn. The left hand rests on the right hand, and the right hand is stretched out to make a connection, standing gracefully and quietly. The pattern is smooth and natural.
Qing Dynasty Yang Zhi Guanyin statue
Statue of Guanyin with willow branches, standing posture. Guanyin wears a mountain-shaped crown, there is a Buddha in the center of the crown, the wind towel floats down, and the demeanor is dignified and kind. The robe fluttered in the wind, and the skirt was draped with beads at the folds. Guanyin holds a willow branch in his right hand, standing barefoot on a lotus flower in the sea, and a lotus pod gushes out of the sea, symbolizing the pure land of the West. The outsole is printed with the four-character double-line regular script of "Cai Guan Rongzao", and the single-column Yangwen stamp is printed.
The Qing Dynasty sat on the statue of Guanyin
Sitting on the statue of Guanyin, sitting posture. Guanyin sits half-kneeled, with his left leg crossed and his right leg propped up, on his feet. The right hand is placed on the right knee, and the left hand is placed on the right hand, which is very elegant and calm, full of life interest. The hair is combed in a high bun, the big ears are drooping, the face is long, the nose is high and the mouth is small, the eyes are slightly open, the face is beautiful, dignified and kind. The upper body wears a long robe with wide sleeves and a long collar on the lower body, the chest is slightly exposed, and the beaded chain is worn, with fine carvings and smooth lines.
Qing Dynasty Manjushri statue
Manjushri statue, seated. Holding Ruyi, riding a fierce lion. The face is kind and relaxed. The clothes are gorgeous, and the folds are smooth. The lion is an important symbol of the statue of Manjushri and a symbol of Manjushri's wisdom and might.
Qing Dynasty Fuxian Bodhisattva statue
Fuxian Bodhisattva statue, seated. Holding Ruyi in his hand, riding a white elephant. The white elephant is an important feature of the statue of the Bodhisattva. The expression is both vivid and lifelike.
The above Dehua kiln white porcelain in the collection of Beijing Art Museum is not only rich in shape, but also has changeable decorative techniques, such as carving, scratching, printing, stenciling, appliqué, sculpture, etc., with a strong and profound local cultural atmosphere and distinctive characteristics of the times, vividly reproducing the history of the prosperous development of Dehua kiln white porcelain.