Foreword
Porcelain, as a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, not only carries a profound historical and cultural heritage, but also occupies an irreplaceable and important position in the glorious history of Chinese culture. Porcelain has developed and matured since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and has a history of nearly 2,000 years, mainly celadon in the early stage, and later produced white porcelain; the porcelain technology of the Tang Dynasty was further developed, forming a pattern of "green in the south and white in the north"; porcelain kilns in the Song and Yuan dynasties were all over the country, showing the situation of a hundred flowers blooming, the simple and practical utensils and the cultural elements with a great sense of design were perfectly blended, containing pure and elegant artistic taste, carrying the people's yearning for exquisite life, making the porcelain of this period become a classic that is difficult to surpass.
In the New Year, in order to thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's cultural thoughts, promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the people, Pingliang and Tianshui worked closely together to jointly hold the "Porcelain on the Elegance - Chenlong New Year Song Jinyuan Porcelain Special Exhibition", which collected 159 pieces (sets) of porcelain from the Song, Jinyuan and Yuan dynasties collected by Tianshui Museum, Pingliang Museum and Zhuanglang County Museum, covering tea sets, wine sets, tableware, study utensils, etc., from the kiln mouth, craftsmanship, aesthetics, The function shows the charm of the ancient charm of porcelain from multiple angles, so that the audience can feel the outstanding beauty of traditional art, understand the highlight moments of history, strengthen cultural self-confidence, enhance cultural consciousness, and actively participate in the innovative practice of building a happy and beautiful new Pingliang.
Unit 5 Flowers on porcelain
Cizhou kiln is a well-known kiln in the north that flourished in the Song and Jin dynasties, and in the Song porcelain full of elegant, soft and delicate temperament, Cizhou kiln is undoubtedly an alternative but not negligible existence. It does not deliberately pursue perfect shape, pure glaze, Cizhou kiln is completely relying on the "art of decoration" to reach the pinnacle of a kiln. The craftsmen of Cizhou kiln used all kinds of brains and superb skills to support the poetry and painting of Cizhou kiln. With the use of scratching flowers, picking flowers, pearl ground, white ground black flowers, black ground white flowers, white ground black flowers and other decorative techniques to interpret a folk favorite theme, there are baby plays, flowers, animals and poetry and sayings, for the Song and Jin Dynasty people's life to add a touch of interest.
Porcelain pillows, as a unique form of ancient Chinese porcelain modeling, began to be fired in the Sui Dynasty and gradually became popular after the Tang Dynasty. Originally a spiritual vessel, over time its use expanded to everyday life, both as bedding and as a pulse checker. By the Song Dynasty, the development of porcelain pillows reached the peak of prosperity. Compared with the previous generation, the shape has become more atmospheric, the decorative techniques are more diverse and refined, the use of various techniques such as carving, scratching, ticking, printing, stacking, etc., but also the use of color glaze to draw exquisite pictures or inscribe poems greatly enriched the artistic expression of the porcelain pillow.
In particular, it is worth mentioning the porcelain pillow of Cizhou kiln, which is famous for its unique white ground and black flowers, and adopts a variety of decorative techniques such as scratching and carving, so that its products are quite famous at that time. These porcelain pillows are not only practical, but also have high artistic value, reflecting the aesthetic taste and cultural characteristics of the Song Dynasty folk.
Cizhou kiln white ground black color poetry pillow Jin Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
Cizhou kiln white ground black color "Efeng slashing demon world" pattern pillow Song Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
This ornament is the Taoist evil talisman "Feng Feng Demon World"
Cizhou kiln pearl ground parrot pattern pillow Song Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
The history of parrots being domesticated and raised as pets can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period, and as a decorative theme, it was more popular in the Tang and Song dynasties. The parrot is a "noble" bird that was paid tribute or offered by the local government in the Tang Dynasty, and with the migration of the times and the passage of time, it began to appear on ceramic vessels in large numbers through the form of "decorative" patterns, with the meaning of "auspicious and beautiful", and flowed into the lives of the people. The parrots we see on ancient ceramics today are far away from the "golden wire cage" style of "boudoir grievances" in Tang poems, and most of them are surrounded by flower branches and auspicious clouds, or in pairs - all of them are yearning for a better life.
Overglaze with colored figure pattern pillow Song Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
Cizhou kiln green glaze painted flower and bird pattern pillow Song Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
Green glaze painted peony pattern pillow in the Song Dynasty
Collection of Tianshui City Museum
Cizhou kiln brown glaze lotus pattern tiger shaped porcelain pillow