Antiques: Doucai ware

Doucai cup with kids playing design

Chenghua Period, Ming Dynasty
Height: 4.8cm
Mouth diameter: 6cm
Foot diameter: 2.7cm
Deep belly, straight mouth slanting slightly outword, belly gradually contracted downward, ring foot. A blue-and-white line is painted on the innerside of the mouth and the outer side is decorated with kids playing pattern: the sky floated with rosy clouds, a kid holding a line to fly a kite and another watching it with joyous posture; the rest three kids holding flowers playing, and the open ground decorated with patterns such as sunflower plant, Japanese banana trees, rockwork, flowers and grass, and so on. Apart from blue-and-white, red, green and reddish brown are also applied. The two columns within the ring foot are inscribed in regular script with blue-and-white characters which read "Daming Chenghua Nianzhi" (literally, made in the Chenghua Period of the Great Ming Dynasty).
The cup is light and elegant in design with white and fine body. The kids-playing pattern was a rare subject in the Chenghua Period, hence quite precious.

Doucai jar with interlocking lotus pattern

Chenghua Period, Ming Dynasty
Overall height: 8.3cm
Mouth diameter: 4.3cm
Foot diameter: 6.5cm
Mouth diameter of the lid: 5.6cm
Straight mouth, plump shoulders, ring foot. Double blue-and-white cords on the outer side of the mouth are filled with yellow paint. A circle of blue-and-white lotus petals is covered on the shoulder. The body of the jar is decorated with six interlocking lotus flowers in blue-and-white  with green the stem and leaves. The shank is ornamented with a ring of upstretching lotus petal pattern, and close to foot there are two string lines in yellow glaze and blue-and-white respectively. The bottom is inscribed with the character "tian" (sky) in regular script in blue-and-white. The cover has a flat top, in the middle of which is a lotus flower ball in blue and white applied with red glaze. The outer ring is edged with double lines in blue-and-white, between which yellow glaze is filled. The cover is fringed with a circle of blue-and-white curly branches, and there is a ring of double-line in blue-and-white close to the mouth.
The jar, elegant and beautiful in design and bright and gentle in color, is the representative of the porcelain in Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty.

Doucai gaoshi (noble scholar) cup

Chenghua Period, Ming Dynasty
Height: 3.4cm
Mouth diameter: 5.9cm
Foot diameter: 2.7cm
Open mouth, rim slanting slightly outward, gradually contracted downward, shallow ring foot. On the bottom within the two square frames there are six characters in regular script reading "Daming Chenghua Nianzhi" (literally, made in Chenghua Period of the Great Ming Dynasty) in two lines. Two sets of doucai patterns are decorated on the outerside of the cup: one is "Wang Xizhi fond of goose", and the other "Yu Boya visiting friend with his qin", hence the name "gaoshi cup" (in Chinese, gaoshi means noble scholar; Wang Xizhi was a great calligraphist and Yu Boya a great musician). In the picture Wang Xizhi stands beside a pond wearing a red robe, overlooking the swimming goose. Behind him a young attendant in green is holding a volume of bamboo slips, surrounded by willows, wild flowers and drifting rosy clouds. On the other side Yu Boya is marching steadily forward, dressed in green with two hair buns on the head. A boy attendant in red follows him with qin in his arms. There are lush pine trees and cypress trees around, doted with clusters of wild chrysanthemums. The two groups of painting are mainly decorated with underglaze blue and white and overglaze red and aqua green, fresh and bright in color.

Doucai benba pot with ornamental tassel design

Kangxi Period, Qing Dynasty
Overall height: 23.2cm
Mouth diameter: 5cm
Foot diameter: 9.1cm
The vessel imitates the design of Tibetan silver benba (a transliteration of Tibetan language, meaning vase) pot, shaped like a pagoda. Both the mouth and the spout have a lid, presenting a novel and unique look. Straight mouth, curvy spout, round and bulgy belly, ring foot stretching outward. The vessel is divided into different units by white bulgy dots. Doucai is applied to lotus petal, ruyi cloud and fire and cloud patterns, and the theme pattern is the animal face and ornamental tassel patterns on the belly.
Benba pot is a sacrificial artical used in the temples in Tibetan region. This vessel is a perfect combination of traditional Tibetan article design with the time-honored Han Chinese porcelain firing technic, and is the historical witness of the exchanges among various ethnic groups in the Qing Dynasty.

Doucai jar and cover with red dragon and phoenix design

Kangxi Period, Qing Dynasty
Overall height: 13.1cm
Mouth diameter: 4.6cm
Foot diameter: 10.4cm
Small mouth, short and straight neck, plump shoulder, flat and round belly, with cover. The patterns of dragon playing with the bead and phoenix playing with the bead in iron red glaze are decorated respectively in both sides of the belly. Doucai is only applied to the supplementary patterns on the less important parts such as neck, shoulder, shank and cover. On the bottom six characters in regular script written in two lines within the double blue-and-white rings, which read, "Daqing Kangxi Nianzhi" (literally, made in Kangxi Period of the Great Qing Dynasty).
The vessel highlights the dragon and phoenix patterns, which are elaborately made and fringed by doucai, presenting a special artistic appeal. It is a specific embodiment of the application of the integrated decorating technics in the doucai porcelain of the Kangxi Period.

Doucai zun (wine vessel) in chrysanthemum's shape with interlocking lotus design

Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty
Height: 25.7cm
Mouth diameter: 22cm
Foot diameter: 15.6cm
Outward slanting mouth, round belly, high ring foot stretching outward. The vessel is in the chrysanthemum petal shape. The design is regular and elegant. The surface is decorated with vertically interlocking lotus patterns in doucai, which is novel in structure and light and elegant in color. On the bottom six characters in regular script written within the double blue-and-white rings, which read "Daming Chenghua Nianzhi" (literally, made in Chenghua Period of the Great Ming Dynasty). Actually, the vessel is just a duplication made in the Yongzheng Period when underglaze blue and white was combined with overglaze famille rose, which made doucai even fresher and more elegant.

Doucai jar and cover with medallion, chrysanthemum and butterfly design

Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty
Overall height: 10.4cm
Mouth diameter: 5cm
Foot diameter: 5.4cm
Straight mouth, plump shoulder, slim bottom, ring foot. The theme patterns on the body are divided into upper and lower lines, each having four medallions which are arranged in alternative. The upper part of the medallion is a butterfly, and the lower part consists of two chrysanthemums as well as their leaves and branches. Plucked lotus branches are decorated between medallions. The shoulder and foot each has a ring of blue-and-white sea wave pattern, on which eight flowers of different colors are decorated. There is a medallion right in the middle of the cover.  On the bottom of the jar six characters in regular script written in two lines within the double blue-and-white rings, which read, "Daqing Yongzheng Nianzhi" (literally, made in Yongzheng Period during the Great Qing Dynasty).

Doucai jar with medallion design

Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty
Height: 17.2cm
Mouth diameter: 8.4cm
Foot diameter: 7.8cm
Straight and slightly out-slanting mouth, short neck, round shoulder gradually contracted downward, ring foot. The jar is decorated all over the body with irregular medallions, which are commonly called ball flowers. The jar is glazed on both inner and outer sides. No mark at the bottom.
The Qing Dynasty witnessed further development and progress of doucai firing since its birth in the Ming Dynasty. During the Yongzheng Period, enamel and gold glaze were introduced, and new technics like adding gold glaze to doucai and enamal to doucai were formed. Apart from the original colors of red, yellow, green, purple and reddish brown, a couple of new colors such as pink, carmine, pale pinkish purple, rose color, lake green, etc were added to doucai firing, which made it even more magnificent and beautiful.

Doucai garlic-shaped vase with ruyi ears

Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty
Height: 26cm
Mouth diameter: 5.2cm
Foot diameter: 11.8cm
The mouth is in the shape of a garlic, narrow neck, sloping shoulder, round belly, ring foot, ruyi-shaped ears arranged in symmetric pattern between the mouth and the shoulder. The whole vase is decorated in doucai. The rim of the mouth is edged with fret patterns, and the garlic mouth is decorated with plucked branch and flower patterns. The neck is ridged with three layers of decorations, curly grass, flowers, and Japanese banana leaves respectively. There are ruyi cloud pattern and distorted lotus petal pattern respectively on the vase shoulder and shank. The belly is decorated with six groups of plucked branch and flower pattern, alternated with interlocking lotus. On the out bottom six characters in regular script written in two lines within the double blue-and-white rings, which read, "Daqing Yongzheng Nianzhi" (literally, made in Yongzheng Period of the Great Qing Dynasty).

Doucai prunus vase with interlocking branches and flowers pattern

Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty
Height: 26.3cm
Mouth diameter: 5.5cm
Foot diameter: 11.9cm
Convex body, round rim, small mouth, short and straight neck, plump shoulder, round and bulgy upper belly, arc-shaped lower belly, foot slanting outward, the bottom sunken to form ring foot. The whole vase are decorated with doucai flower patterns, the neck four groups of flowers, the shoulder interlocking lotus flowers, the belly themed with six groups of plucked flowers patterns with the upper and lower part alternated with distorted entwining lotuses, and the shank interlocking composite flowers. On the bottom of the vase six characters in regular script written in two lines within the double blue-and-white rings, which read, "Daqing Yongzheng Nianzhi" (literally, made in Yongzheng Period during the Great Qing Dynasty).

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Vintage Tea Brands/Advertising - Part I

Advertisement for Monarch Cocoa and Tea

Meadow Queen Tea

Home Brand Tea

Owl Brand Tea

Fox Brand

Anemone Brand Tea

Ra-Jah and Fuh-hi Tea

May Flower Brand Tea

Diamond Brand Tea

Rob Roy Brand Tea

Doucai Ware

Doucai is a variety of decorative porcelain formed by the combination of underglaze blue-and-white and overglaze decoration. Before firing, the contour of the pattern should be sketched on the base with blue-and-white, and some part should be filled with blue-and-white too. Then the painted base should be sent into the kiln and fired into blue-and-white porcelain, on which the blank of the previously-sketched pattern should be filled with paints of various colors. And then it should be fired again in the low-temperature kiln with oxiding flame about 800 degrees Celsius. As the underglaze blue-and-white and the overglaze decoration seem to contend for beauty, it is called "Doucai" (literally, compete for color).
The firing of doucai porcelain dates back to the Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty, which is most well-known for its doucai. Chenghua doucai porcelain features quiet and elegant blue-and-white, bright and smooth white glaze, soft color, as well as white and fine base. It is a rare and fine variety of porcelain. In addition, the doucai procelain made from Kangxi to Qianlong Period is also of high artistic value.

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Color glazed porcelain

明正德孔雀绿釉碗
Peacock-Green Glaze Bowl, Ming Dynasty, Zhengde Reign
Peacock-green glaze is applied to the surface of the bowl. The green is bright and glimmering like the feathers of a peacock, hence its name. Jingdezhen started to fire porcelain in this color in the Yuan Dynasty. It is different from the deep tones of earlier green glaze and is extremely precious.

Color-glazed porcelain 彩釉瓷 was one of Jingdezhen's major products during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was colored using both high-temperature and low-temperature glazes, with copper, iron, or gold as the color agent. From the time of the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns, iron has successfully been utilized for its even, clear and stable glaze qualities. Red porcelain has always been the most popular since the Chinese consider red an auspicious and precious color.

Lang-Kiln Red Glaze Vase, 郎窑红釉穿带直口瓶
Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Reign
Thick red glaze is applied to the bright red vase; it is representative of Lang-Kiln red glaze porcelain in the Qing Kangxi years. In the Qing Dynasty, officials were dispatched to Jingdezhen to supervise in person the production of porcelain. On behalf of the emperor, they would strictly oversee the manufacture of porcelain made for the court. There was a renowned supervisor named Lang Tingji. This piece was made under his supervision, so it is honored with the designation of Lang-Kiln red glaze

Reputed as a "man made gem", color-glazed porcelain looks brilliant and seems to carry many connotations. Thanks to new scientific measures for allotting ingredients and controlling kiln temperatures, craftsmen have not only managed to improve the quality of color glazes and find formulas for different products, but they have also successively created more than 100 glaze colors and several kinds of lusterless colored glazes.
Generally speaking, color-glazed porcelain falls into the following categories: blue, dark reddish, black, white, yellow, green, blue-and-white glazed, and so on, with each color further sub-categorized into specific type.

Collectors of different types of color-glazed porcelain should keep one thing in mind: The classification of color glazes cannot be judged based on the color of a glaze surface with the naked eye. For instance, although some blue-and-white glazes produced in kilns in Fujian Province during the Song Dynasty appear to be white, the proportion of different micro-elements classifies them as white-and-blue glazed porcelain.

Light Pink Glaze Vase, Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng Reign
The color of this work is gentle and graceful, as lovely as the color of a peach. It was an innovation in Qing Yongzheng period. A small amount of gold was mixed in the paint, making it an extremely rare variety. Only one piece survives.

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Antiques: Blue and White porcelain

Zun with design of interlocking sprays of peony

Zhengde period,Ming Dynasty
Height: 21.7cm
Diameter of mouth: 15.3cm
Diameter of foot: 10.6cm

Bowl with design of ploughing and weaving

Kangxi period,Qing Dynasty
Height: 10cm
Diameter of mouth: 20cm
Diameter of foot: 9.3cm

Covered-jar with design of pine,bamboo and plum

Yongzheng period,Qing Dynasty
Height: 18cm
Diameter of mouth: 6.5cm
Diameter of foot: 8cm

Bowl with design of interlocking sprays of lotus

Wanli period,Ming Dynasty
Height: 9cm
Diameter of mouth: 21cm
Diameter of foot: 7.7cm

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Linglong Porcelain

Linglong porcelain 玲珑瓷 was created and developed on the basis of pieced work during the Xuande reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Reputed as "porcelain inlaid with glass", linglong porcelain is famous both at home and abroad for its exquisitely carved patterns and glittering, translucent appeal.
Grain-sized holes were hollowed out in the thin roughcast and the glaze was applied several times to cover them. Then, the half-finished products were baked in kilns to produce linglong porcelain.
Characterized by pierced ornamentation, the porcelain saw some developments in terms of technique in the Qing Dynasty. During this period, craftsmen ingeniously integrated the techniques of making blue-and-white porcelain with that of linglong porcelain to create the blue-and-white linglong porcelain much loved by the people. The dark-green transparent linglong designs and emerald-green blue-and-white patterns served as a foil to each other, creating a unique sense of beauty.
Linglong wares were generally limited to small objects, such as cups, brush pots and covered jars. The decoration was sometimes unglazed, left either white or enhanced with gilding or colored glazes.

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Blue and White porcelain

Among all porcelain produced in Jingdezhen, the most representative is blue-white porcelain 青花瓷 . Baking blue-white porcelain originated in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). During the Yuan and Ming dynasties (1271-1644), blue-white porcelain became increasingly popular, and since the 14th century, manufacturers have shipped blue-white porcelain to world markets. The porcelain reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its thin, translucent quality and exotic motifs made it very valuable throughout Europe and the colonies, ranking first among blue-white porcelain nationwide.
Drawing the design with a cobalt pigment onto the stoneware body and painting over it with a transparent glaze creates the blue-white style, also known as "underglazed blue". The piece is then fired at a high temperature. Blue-white porcelain was introduced during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and has been in production ever since thanks to its bright colors, simple yet elegant patterns, and smooth glaze that never fades.

The Yuan Dynasty is a key period for the development of the firing techniques for blue-white porcelain in China. Its unique characteristics were based on the techniques of former dynasties. Blue-white porcelain had become a major porcelain product in China by the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911).
Blue-white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty is large, with a thick roughcast. Generally, the works include big bottles, pots, bowls and plates, with the traditional flavor of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Due to the underdeveloped techniques, there are two interfaces on the body and several veins inside the body. The roughcast is not as smooth as that of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the glaze is thicker due to more iron in the raw glaze materials.

There are bamboo-like lines at the foot of the porcelain. The body is connected to the foot before the glaze is coated. The body is decorated with lotuses, clouds and flowers. Dense decorations were not only applied to blue-white porcelain but also to picture weaving and stone carving, reflecting the unique characteristics of the time.
The major producer of blue-white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty was Jingdezhen. In addition, there were kilns for blue-white porcelain production in East China's Zhejiang Province and Southwest China's Yunnan Province .

Blue-white porcelain actually belongs to color-glazed porcelain and the coloring agent used is called cobalt oxide. First, using cobalt oxide, paint the unbaked mould, then apply a layer of translucent glaze over it and bake it at 1,300 degrees Celsius. The cobalt oxide will be reduced under the high temperature into a blue hue, which will be very bright and durable without poisonous lead. Each piece of monochrome-glazed porcelain has a single bright color with an exquisite design. A very good mastery of controlling temperature changes and content composition is required. Blue-white porcelain is most famous among the four traditional types of porcelain produced in Jiangdezhen, and is renowned as the "ever-lasting blue flower."
In 1979 Jingdezhen blue-white porcelain won a national golden prize and in 1985 it was honored with three gold medals at international fairs held in Leipzig, Brno, etc. Since then, the name "Jingdezhen Blue-white Porcelain" has spread far and wide. By far, it is a top product in the porcelain business, boasting the most prizes and highest standards.

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Four Types of Jingdezhen Porcelain

Linglong porcelain

Chinese people have produced porcelain for a very long time. To some extent, the world became acquainted with China through its chinaware and porcelain, which was often used as a yardstick in evaluating Chinese civilization.

blue-white porcelain

For over 2,000 years, Jingdezhen was known as "the porcelain capital" of the world. The City of Jingdezhen in East China's Jiangxi Province, which was called Xinping in ancient times, began to make porcelain as early as 200BC in the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). During the reign of Emperor Jingde (1004-1007) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), all of the products made here bore the royal Jingde mark, and the name of the city was therefore changed to Jingdezhen (Jingde Town).

Famille-rose porcelain

For centuries, the city was considered as China's most important center for porcelain production. Here, ceramics were produced as far back as the Han Dynasty (206-220BC). The imperial porcelain was so exquisite that it was described as being "as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper , with a sound as clear as a bell".
Today, Jingdezhen remains a national center for porcelain production. The most famous types of porcelain from Jingdezhen are famille -rose porcelain, linglong porcelain, blue-white porcelain and color-glazed porcelain.

Color-glazed porcelain

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The Golden Tea Bowl

Qing Dynasty
Height: 6cm
Diameter of mouth: 9.5cm
Diameter of foot: 5.1cm
The tea bowl is made of gold of 80% fineness. It is round in shape and has a slightly flared brim. The inside of the bowl is smooth and the outside is adorned with engraved labyrinth patterns on top and ornamental background in the body, on which four characters of "shou" (meaning "longevity") and "shuangxi" (meaning "double happiness") each are engraved. The area close to the base is ringed with lotus flower motifs. The base is round and adorned with labyrinth patterns.
The tea bowl is made with superb craftsmanship and the patterns and characters are gracefully arranged. It is a treasure of the gold ware collection in the late Qing Dynasty court. Gold ware like this was only used on grand occasions like the emperor's wedding or birthday banquets.

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An Introduction to Chinese Ceramics

The origins of Chinese pottery and porcelain go back to distant antiquity. And from the masterful excellence of Chinese ceramics, we can deduce the painstaking labor that went into making them.

Tradition
Four objective factors influenced the beginnings and development of Chinese pottery and porcelain:clay, fuel, river systems, and markets. Heavy clay and large quantities of fuel are required for pottery and porcelain making. High shipping costs made pottery production economically impractical in areas without these basic prerequisites. So a locale with plentiful supplies of both clay and lumber as fuel had the best potential for setting up a ceramics kiln.

Once a large kiln has been set up, it often continues to produce for hundreds of years. The arts of preparing clay, glazing, and firing are often passed down from generation to generation, so each area will tend to develop its own individual glazes, clays, and decorating techniques, resulting in unique styles and designs. From the particular features of a piece, one can usually pinpoint definitively when and where it was made. Beginning with the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), and into the Tang (618-907 A.D.), Sung (960-1279 A.D.), Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.), and Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) dynasties, large quantities of pottery and porcelain were exported from China to Korea, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, the Southeast Asian peninsula, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, the Middle East, the eastern coast of Africa, continental Europe, Great Britain, and the United States. Pottery and porcelain pieces exported during these periods are an excellent source of research materials on the history of China's communications, trade, and economic relations with other countries.

The key to the high level of pottery development lies in the spirit of Chinese craftsmen to strive for excellence. Ceramic and porcelain pieces dating back to various historical periods have demonstrated again and again how Chinese artisans overcame the shortcomings of the materials they used and how craftsmanship can conquer the difficulties encountered in working with clay. For instance, in the late Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.) and early Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) dynasties, the material used to produce porcelain in world-famous Chingte Chen, Kiangsi Province, was porcelain stone mixed with kaolin, a material which is very hard to shape or mold. Faced with this difficulty, the porcelain makers of the time came up with the idea of grinding the raw material to an extremely fine consistency and then soaking it in water for several years. This process increased its stickiness and malleability. This allowed the clay to be stretched and formed on a potter's wheel into beautiful porcelain articles. When half-dry, a special knife was used to shave it until extremely thin.

Today
Pottery and porcelain artisans of today have full access to modern technological knowledge and can freely choose their equipment. But they all still carry on in the traditional belief that man can indeed conquer nature. Some imitate ancient designs, and others produce avant-garde pieces. With their minds, their hands, and clay and fire, these potters express the their perception of beauty, their professional experience, their sensitivity, and their level of artistic cultivation. New ceramic making concepts from the United States are combined with traditional Chinese methods to creating modern works of ceramic art. Some contemporary pottery makers have begun using natural gas as a fuel for firing pottery in their kiln. They also import high-quality porcelain clay to further improve the quality of their products.

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Tea Picking Opera

A well-known Hakka opera it is, the Tea-picking Opera in the south of Jiangxi Province originates from the folk performance Tea-picking Lantern in some places of south Jiangxi. It gradually developed into the "Tea Lantern Opera" in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Qimen Tea-picking Opera

As a local opera popular in Qimen County, it was originated in Jiangxi as the "Raohe Tune". In the early Qing Dynasty, it spread to places like Shanli, Likou and Qiling. The opera achieved continuous development with the efforts of senior actors, thus shaping the characteristic Qimen Tea-picking Opera in the tea-growing town.

Tea-picking Opera in Huangmei County,Hubei Province

The mountainous regions such as Ziyun, Longping and Duoyun in Huangmei County have long been characterized for tea-growing activity in as early as Tang and Song dynasties. Every year in spring, the tea picking activity is always accompanied by melodious folk songs or ballads of the tea-growers. Therefore, the Huangmei Tea-picking Opera came into being amid the singings all over the mountains.

Huangmei Opera in Anqing

The Huangmei Opera is a major local opera in Anhui Province. "Huangmei Tune" or "Tea-picking Opera". It is a minor folk opera formed in Huangmei Mountain region of Anhui Province adjacent to Hubei and Jiangxi in the late 18th century.

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