Published By: Nirtika Pandita

Are you aware of the Chinese Pottery Styles?

From the glaze, shine and the artistic point of view, these are amazing

Among the many creative and intrinsic artwork that China has been creating for centuries. If one were to trace the history of China’s artistic pottery culture it all started about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age - responsible for the crafting of and using pottery. In fact, porcelain is one of the most significant creations that has come and survived over the centuries from China. Here are some of the ancient and still existing pottery styles from China that will amaze one’s mind.

Yixing Violet Sand Earthenware

This earthenware is the most famous of the Chinese pottery that is made using violet-coloured sand. The violet sand that is used to make this pottery is a local material that comes naturally with a hard and fine texture. It comes in dark colours but requires the highest workmanship to bring the craft alive. The making of this pottery requires mixing techniques and certain cooking temperatures which results in a variety of colours such as azure, chestnut, dark red, pear yellow, vermillion purple, crabapple red, light grey, and greenish-black.

The unique aspect of this pottery beside the clay and the colours are the shapes and combinations of lines and planes. Another unique quality of the utensils made of this pottery is that it maintains the scent of the tea while infusing as well as the colour of the liquid during storage.

White Porcelain

This pottery style was prevalent from 1000–1400 AD and is one of the classic types of traditional Chinese porcelain. The clay is locally sourced and its low iron body is decorated with a transparent white glaze that gives this pottery style the edge that it requires making it unique. This pottery style has been in making since the Song Era in China. The artistic aspect of this pottery that makes it still loved and most acclaimed is its simple yet elegant style, and bright, and jade-like surface.

Luoyang Tang Tricolor Pottery

This style of pottery originated in Luoyang, hence getting the name. As the name suggests this pottery is made using three colours of glaze, namely yellow, green, and white. At times other colour combinations such as yellow, green, and blue are also used.

A few other types of Chinese Pottery styles are Black Porcelain, Blue and White Porcelain, Qing Porcelain/Enamel Painted Porcelain, Xingzhou Nixing Pottery, Jianshui Pottery, Rongchang Pottery, Celadon Pottery, and Zibo Artistic Pottery.