Jingdezhen Porcelain
China is globally recognized as the “country of porcelain production”. Porcelain is an important invention of ancient Chinese people. It has been discovered thanks to the skills and hard work of the local potters, and also thanks to the ample natural reserves of kaolin, the white clay consisting of the mineral kaolinite.
When it comes to Chinese porcelain, first of all, it is very important to mention the Porcelain of Jingdezhen. This city is known as “the capital of Chinese porcelain”. Jingdezhen is located in the heart of Jiangxi province, in the south of China, counting over 2000 years of porcelain manufacturing history. In ancient times, during the Tang dynasty (618 - 906 AD) the white porcelain pieces crafted here were compared in their value to jade. The city received its present name in 1004 by the decree of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song dynasty, from this moment Jingdezhen began to produce porcelain on a vast scale, and it was even delivered to the imperial court.
Starting from the 14th century during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD), Jingdezhen turned into the leading center for porcelain production. The city masters created exquisite pieces decorating them with lead glazes in three colors (sancai) or underglaze blue porcelain, which was often combined with overglaze painting (doucai). During this time the porcelain was produced in mass quantities, especially the white and blue porcelain. Eventually, it reached Western Europe, where it immediately gained the attention of the locals with its technical and artistic perfection and exuberant wealth of forms and decoration.
The emperors of various dynasties sent officials to Jingdezhen to supervise the porcelain production, and that was the reason why Jingdezhen produced countless samples of high-quality porcelain.
Today Jingdezhen
Today Jingdezhen still preserves some forms of ancient workshops and kilns for manufacturing and firing porcelain. Jingdezhen hosts large ceramic and porcelain exhibitions, and its modern ceramics and porcelain factories attract a lot of Chinese and foreign tourists every year. Jingdezhen ceramics is still highly valued and in great request in many countries around the world.
The Sotheby's auction
China's classic porcelain pieces, renowned all over the world for their advanced production technologies, are very high-priced. To give you an idea, at the Sotheby's auction, held at the beginning of 2002 in Hong Kong, the porcelain vase of the five-color glaze from the Ming dynasty period was sold for 44 million Hong Kong dollars, which was a world record at auction for any item of porcelain.
Decorative painting
Decorative painting on porcelain products is often valued higher than the vases, jugs, and porcelain sets themselves. As the main decorative patterns, the masters liked to use various flowers (peonies, chrysanthemums, lotuses), pine branches, birds and animals or dragons. One of the traditional Chinese symbols used in porcelain painting is a peach. In ancient China, a peach was considered a symbol of immortality and longevity, this fruit symbolizes spring, youth, and prosperity.