Important Characteristics of Tea Glazed Porcelain in Qing Dynasty

Appraisal and Appreciation of Tea Glazed Porcelain in Qing Dynasty

The most popular praise for the final glaze of tea is this passage in Tao Ya by Ji Yuancuo in the late Qing Dynasty: "The final glaze of tea is yellow with green. Charming but not vulgar. Flowers are blooming. Beautiful as jade. Make a bottle. The most eye-catching. "

"Tea powder is yellow and green. Charming but not vulgar. Flowers are blooming. Beautiful as jade. Make a bottle. The most eye-catching. " That sounds tempting. However, no matter how charming the final glaze color of tea leaves is, it is not appropriate to look between the lines carefully. The first sentence is undoubtedly a description of the final glaze color of tea. Although these expressions are not very wonderful and accurate, they are still good on the whole. In the next few sentences, some people are puzzled: since yellow and green are mixed together, how can they be charming? This color is often matched with the three colors of ancient porcelain, but it is charming and charming. Gorgeous flowers are even more outrageous. The characteristic of tea glaze is precisely "quaint and quiet". How can I be gorgeous in the flowers? Fortunately, there is a detailed description of tea glaze in the book, otherwise I really doubt that the author has ever seen tea glaze porcelain. Just now when it comes to tea glaze, it leads to this sentence. If you want to evaluate, this sentence is precisely the biggest misleading. Blind obedience to the ancients can be seen here.

What is the final glaze color of tea? More scientifically, it is a kind of crystallized Fe-Mg crystalline glaze. Scientific description is always of little help to appreciation. The textual research and classification of tea glaze is of no special significance to the connoisseurs. Simply put, the appearance of tea powder can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty according to archaeological evidence. There are many kinds of tea glazes fired in Yaozhou kiln in Tang Dynasty, and the best one is close to the official kiln in Qing Dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty, the tea glaze did not disappear. But it seems to be a by-product, even a defective product, which is a technical failure. This failure continued until the Qing Dynasty and became the secret glaze of the court, which was only for the royal family to enjoy.

Because the glaze color is gray-green, such as the color of tea, it is named. The glaze is opaque yellow-green, and on the dark green background, the yellow-brown fine spots of tea powder shine, which is simple and beautiful and intriguing. The ancients praised: "Tea powder is yellow and mixed with green, delicate but not vulgar, gorgeous in flowers, beautiful as jade, and the most beautiful eyes." Fine texture, novel shape, exquisite workmanship and bright glaze color.

Tea glaze was produced in Yongzheng period. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Yaozhou Kiln and Cizhou Kiln in Liao and Jin Dynasties had similar glaze colors. But in Yongzheng, Tang Ying combined it with the white porcelain tire of Jingdezhen porcelain and invented this glaze color. At the beginning, Tang's name was Guan Glaze Factory. Tea powder is the name of an antique dealer recorded in Tao Ya. Good tea glaze is very valuable, mainly in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Judging from the handed down artifacts, most of the products were produced in Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, and the firing in Qianlong period was the most successful. In the last glaze of tea, the green one is called tea and the yellow one is called Duan. There was no tea powder in Yongzheng, but there was tea powder in Qianlong. The glaze color is mostly green, and some of them are rusty in ancient bronze. Because of its calm tone, bronze is often used in antique bronze, so it is also called "ancient bronze color".

Tea powder glaze, as one of the traditional glass varieties in China, is named because its outer glaze color is similar to tea powder. It is a kind of crystalline glaze ceramics, and its glaze contains iron and manganese. Its glaze color is yellow, but it is mixed with green in the middle, and many tiny green spots are scattered in the yellow-brown background. Due to the change of formula and manufacturing technology, the glaze color is not the same, so there are varieties such as crab nail green, eel yellow, snakeskin green, old monk clothes and so on. Glaze is mostly semi-wood.

Tea glaze is actually a kind of crystalline glaze. Its crystals are very small, yellow-green or yellow-brown, mainly distributed on the surface of glaze layer, and there is a layer of black primer under the surface layer. X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscope composition analysis show that the precipitated crystals belong to pyroxene type. Pyroxene is the general name of a series of pyroxene minerals, and its composition is very complex. Due to different compositions, the varieties and colors of pyroxene after firing are also different. The color diversity of ancient tea glaze is mainly caused by the change of formula and firing process conditions.

The first statue of Qingganlong tea glazed sheep

Tea glaze is a semi-dull glaze containing crystalline minerals, which is dark green and yellow. It is named because the glaze is evenly covered with needle-like and flaky crystals shaped like tea, and the glaze is opaque. "Tao Ya" said that "porcelain is yellow and black, which is called tea powder. Its black color is thick, and there are yellow patches around the medial and lateral sides of the foot. If porcelain is alive, it is called eel hair. Take the imitator of Chenghua in Song Dynasty as the top priority. Those with more green but no broken spots are called crab nail green. If there is a falling star, if it is a water eye or a stack eye, it is called a new orange. It is also greener. " Tea powder glaze was called "factory official glaze" in "Notes on South Kiln" during Yongzheng period.

Qing Yongzheng tea glaze binaural furnace

Yong Zhengdi, who pursues a unique vision of art, fell in love at first sight and instructed the Imperial Kiln Factory to mass-produce official kiln wares. Tang Ying created the official glaze of the factory, all of which are white porcelain tires. The blue-brown glaze is like the color of tea powder, with irregular yellow spots and silk threads flashing in it. There are three kinds of official glazes: eel yellow, snakeskin green and yellow spot. This is due to the color difference derived from the difference of firing raw materials and process details, and the naked eye judgment of glaze color difference in the process of tasting. The yellow spots are crab shell blue, and the blue ones are like crab shells.

Gu Mu Shen Xiong, Ganlong Tea Glaze Boutique. Small objects are slender and gentle, and the outline lines cannot be increased or decreased. The beauty of glaze color is moist, vivid and lively, such as Venus hidden in glaze. These are all difficult for future generations to imitate and achieve.

Qingganlong tea powder glazed horseshoe bottle

Some of the best in the final glaze of Qianlong tea are deep and rich in glaze color, and the luster is restrained, which is inexhaustible. This monochromatic glaze reached a peak in the history of ceramics in Yongzheng period, and also represented the ingenious use of color in ceramics by human beings.

Glaze products of official kiln tea in Qianlong period were mostly grinders, such as Ruyi Zun, paper hammer bottle, Zhang Zun, Sanxi Zun, jar, ribbon gourd bottle, watering flowers, bowls and jars, etc. And bowls and round pots are rare. Ruyi Erzun was an innovator in Yongzheng period, which was very popular in Qianlong period. In addition to the end glaze of tea, there are also varieties such as Doucai, blue and white, famille rose, blue glaze and imitation glaze, all of which are beautifully made. The elegant and graceful shape of the vessel is perfectly combined with the moist and magnificent color glaze, reaching the artistic realm of "harmony with nature and disgusting wishes" It is full of natural charm, which makes people realize the extraordinary aesthetic taste of the ancients and embodies the true meaning of the perfect combination of aesthetics and practicality of China ceramic art.

After Qianlong, the quality of tea glazed porcelain declined, and the glaze color was difficult to burn during Yongzheng and Qianlong periods.

The first glazed ear furnace with tea powder in the Palace Museum is 13cm in height, 19.8cm in diameter and 13.5cm in foot diameter. The stove is curled up, the stomach is bulging, and the feet are circling. The upper abdomen covers the first ear symmetrically. Coat the whole body with tea powder glaze. There are three lines and six characters in the handwriting of "Qing Xian Feng Year System" printed in gold at the bottom.