Carmine glaze was created and fired in the last year of the Qing Kangxi Dynasty, and was fired in the Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Guangxu and other dynasties, of which the Yongzheng Dynasty had the largest output and the most refined quality. It is a low-temperature red glaze made of trace amount of gold (Au) as a colorant and baked in the furnace at about 800 ° C. Because this red material is transferred from Europe, it is called "magenta" or "western magenta", while the West is mostly called "rose red" and "rose red". Because this red glaze is quite similar to the rouge color used by women's makeup, it is also called "carmine". The color of carmine glaze is dark, light and purple, the deep one is called "carmine", the shallow one is called "rouge water", and the purple one is eggplant purple.
In the "Tao Cheng Chronicle" written by Tang Ying, the governor of the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735), it is recorded that among the 57 kinds of glazed and colored porcelain that were paid tribute to the emperor at that time, there were "Western magenta vessels". From the perspective of heirlooms, the Yongzheng Dynasty carmine glaze porcelain has bottles, jars, plates, bowls, cups, saucers, etc., all of which are light and thin carcasses, exquisite and handsome, most of them are inner white glaze, outer carmine glaze, and very few are applied carmine glaze inside and outside.
Yongzheng Carmine Enamel At Christie's Hong Kong auction in 2016, it sold for HK$40.86 million
Yongzheng rouge water
Yongzheng eggplant skin purple (or carmine purple)
Yongzheng was a very self-controlled emperor, although he liked beauty, but he often restrained himself for the sake of Jiangshan Sheji. However, this restraint also needs to be vented. When Yongzheng saw the carmine glaze for the first time, this restraint could no longer be suppressed, this red glaze was like the cheeks of a girl coated with rouge, and Yongzheng's heart melted. During the Yongzheng period, a large number of carmine glazed porcelain was fired, and the vessel types included pots, plates, bowls, cups and saucers. The carmine glazed porcelain of the Yongzheng Dynasty is mostly small utensils, and perhaps Yongzheng can't bear to let this girlish glaze color be destroyed by the bulky instrument.
Yongzheng carmine cup not only loves its quiet enamel, pure style, but also loves its delicate shape, so Yongzheng porcelain is known for its beautiful shape and fine tire glaze. The carmine glaze method is to apply a layer of uniform carmine glaze on the white thin tire wall, using the method of blowing glaze, due to the extreme difficulty of the process, it is very valuable, and the quality of the Yongzheng Dynasty is the highest.
Yongzheng carmine glaze pressed hand cup, open, deep arc belly, circle foot. White glaze is applied to the inside of the foot, carmine glaze is applied to the outer wall, the general glaze is light and textureless, and the glaze painting is a royal masterpiece. Yongzheng imperial four-character blue material model. This cup has beautiful and smooth lines, thick and uniform carmine glaze, and extraordinary temperament, which is a fine porcelain product of the Yongzheng Dynasty.
How to identify carmine porcelain?
It should be said that the word "carmine" in the official kiln is only a general term for the above-mentioned red glaze with purple tones, due to the formula, the proportion of ingredients, the glazing method, the firing situation and other different factors, "carmine" can present a variety of different hair color states. The color of carmine is related to too many variables, and here is the relationship between its relationship with the gold content and firing temperature.
1. The relationship between carmine red and gold content in glaze
When it comes to the gold content in carmine, it is easy for the general people to misunderstand that the gold content is large, in fact, the content of gold in carmine is not high, basically between one and two parts per thousand. The principle of carmine's hair color is similar to that of copper red, using the gold in the glaze to become a colloidal state in suspension, and producing different hues due to the size of its particles. According to relevant information, when the gold content in the glaze is 1/10,000, a pink hue is produced; when the gold content is 2/10,000, a ruby hue is produced.
2. The relationship between carmine hair color and firing temperature
Since the firing of carmine glaze involves chemical reactions, it has to be directly related to the firing temperature. According to relevant information: "If the glaze mixed with an appropriate amount of gold powder is heated at high temperature, it will become colorless and transparent." If the temperature is lowered, it will show a ruby red color at certain points, and if the temperature gradually decreases, the red will slowly bring some purple, and finally become purple, purple blue, blue, and finally become light cyan." It is precisely because the temperature also directly affects the carmine hair color, the reason for the need to supplement the carmine hair color here is not only due to the gold content in the glaze, but also to other factors such as firing temperature.