Yue ware
Encyclopedia
Yue ware is a type of Chinese ceramics, a felspathic siliceous stoneware, which is characteristically decorated with celadon
glazing
. Yue ware is also sometimes called "Green
porcelain
" (Ch: 越州青瓷, Yuèzhōu qīngcí, or 青瓷 qīngcí) in modern literature, but the term is misleading as it is not really porcelain and its shades are not really green. It has been "one of the most successful and influential of all south Chinese ceramics types".
and clay
, and possibly small amounts of limestone
. Firing temperature is thought to have been about 1,000°C or slightly higher. The color of the glaze ranges from grey to olive to brown. Yue ware is considered as the ancestor of Song
celadon
ceramics.
, in the site of Jiyuan
near Shaoxing
, anciently called "Yuezhou" (越州). Its name goes back to the Yue (state)
of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BCE). Yue ware was first manufactured in the 2nd century CE, when it consisted of very precise imitations of bronze
vessels, many of which have been found in tombs of the Nanjing
region. After this initial phase, Yue ware evolved progressively into true ceramic form, and became a medium of artistic expression. Production in Jiyuan stopped in the 6th century, but expanded to various areas of Zhejiang, especially around the shores of Shanglinhu in Yuyaoxian.
Yue ware was highly valued and was used as tribute for the imperial court in northern China in the 9th century. Significantly, it was also used in China's most revered Famen Temple
in Shaanxi Province. Yue ware was exported to the Middle East
early on. In an early example of Chinese influences on Islamic pottery
, shards of Yue ware have been excavated in Samarra
, Iraq
, . From the 8th to the 11th centuries, it was also exported to East Asia
, South Asia
, and East Africa
.
A particularly refined form of Yue ware is the Bi-se Yue ware (秘色越器, or 秘色青磁, "Secret color Yue ware") found in the Famen shrine and dated to the 9th century. This ware was undecorated but characterized by a smooth and thin glaze of a light color, either yellowish green or bluish green.
By the 11th century, Korean celadon were thought to be influenced by Yue ware, and displayed a bluer glaze through the use of low-iron
and low-titania
lime glazes, closer to the eutectic ideal
. However, the Koreans developed their own bluish-green celadon glazes by Koryo dynasty, that was different from Yue wares.
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
glazing
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
. Yue ware is also sometimes called "Green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
" (Ch: 越州青瓷, Yuèzhōu qīngcí, or 青瓷 qīngcí) in modern literature, but the term is misleading as it is not really porcelain and its shades are not really green. It has been "one of the most successful and influential of all south Chinese ceramics types".
Technique
Yue ware was fired in "Dragon kilns". The Yue glazing was made with a recipe using wood ashWood ash
Wood ash is the residue powder left after the combustion of wood. Main producers of wood ash are wood industries and power plants.-Composition:...
and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, and possibly small amounts of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Firing temperature is thought to have been about 1,000°C or slightly higher. The color of the glaze ranges from grey to olive to brown. Yue ware is considered as the ancestor of Song
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
ceramics.
Evolution
Yue ware originated in the Yue kilns of Northern ZhejiangZhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, in the site of Jiyuan
Jiyuan
Jiyuan is a sub-prefecture-level city in northwestern Henan province of Central China. It borders the prefecture-level cities of Jiaozuo and Luoyang to the east and southwest respectively, as well as the province of Shanxi to the north.-Administration:...
near Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
, anciently called "Yuezhou" (越州). Its name goes back to the Yue (state)
Yue (state)
Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period , in the modern province of Zhejiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji , near the modern city of Shaoxing...
of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BCE). Yue ware was first manufactured in the 2nd century CE, when it consisted of very precise imitations of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
vessels, many of which have been found in tombs of the Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
region. After this initial phase, Yue ware evolved progressively into true ceramic form, and became a medium of artistic expression. Production in Jiyuan stopped in the 6th century, but expanded to various areas of Zhejiang, especially around the shores of Shanglinhu in Yuyaoxian.
Yue ware was highly valued and was used as tribute for the imperial court in northern China in the 9th century. Significantly, it was also used in China's most revered Famen Temple
Famen Temple
Famen Temple is located in Famen town, Fufeng County, 120 kilometers west of Xi'an City, Shaanxi province. It was widely regarded as the "ancestor of pagoda temples in Guanzhong area".-History:...
in Shaanxi Province. Yue ware was exported to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
early on. In an early example of Chinese influences on Islamic pottery
Chinese influences on Islamic pottery
Chinese influences on Islamic pottery cover a period starting from at least the 8th century CE to the 19th century. This influence of Chinese ceramics has to be viewed in the broader context of the considerable importance of Chinese culture on Islamic arts in general.-Early contacts with Central...
, shards of Yue ware have been excavated in Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, . From the 8th to the 11th centuries, it was also exported to East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
.
A particularly refined form of Yue ware is the Bi-se Yue ware (秘色越器, or 秘色青磁, "Secret color Yue ware") found in the Famen shrine and dated to the 9th century. This ware was undecorated but characterized by a smooth and thin glaze of a light color, either yellowish green or bluish green.
By the 11th century, Korean celadon were thought to be influenced by Yue ware, and displayed a bluer glaze through the use of low-iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and low-titania
Titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of...
lime glazes, closer to the eutectic ideal
Eutectic system
A eutectic system is a mixture of chemical compounds or elements that has a single chemical composition that solidifies at a lower temperature than any other composition. This composition is known as the eutectic composition and the temperature is known as the eutectic temperature...
. However, the Koreans developed their own bluish-green celadon glazes by Koryo dynasty, that was different from Yue wares.