The Meaning of Hua Niaowen in Different Periods

The meanings of Hua Niaowen in different periods: Hua Niaowen in Tang Dynasty, Hua Niaowen in Song Dynasty, Hua Niaowen in Yuan Dynasty and Hua Niaowen in Ming Dynasty.

Hua Niaowen in Tang Dynasty: Peony is the theme of Hua Niaowen in Tang Dynasty, which means wealth and splendor. Besides, birds in Hua Niaowen also have auspicious meanings, such as Yuanyang, which symbolizes love and happiness, and peacock, which symbolizes power and status.

Hua Niaowen in Song Dynasty: Hua Niaowen in Song Dynasty was more realistic and paid attention to the description of natural details. Common themes are plum blossom, peony, chrysanthemum and birds. These Hua Niaowen symbolize people's yearning for a better life and their awe of nature.

Hua Niaowen in Yuan Dynasty: Hua Niaowen in Yuan Dynasty was represented by blue-and-white porcelain, with simple patterns, mainly flowers and birds. Among them, peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers have similar meanings to those in the Tang Dynasty, while animals such as magpies, eagles and deer also have auspicious meanings.

Hua Niaowen in Ming Dynasty: Hua Niaowen in Ming Dynasty was more diversified in expression, and a large number of auspicious patterns appeared. Like a mandarin duck playing in the water, it's beaming, and a hundred birds are at the phoenix. These patterns express people's yearning for a better life and their pursuit of happiness.

Pattern characteristics

A traditional decorative pattern of ceramics, named after it, consists of flowers and birds.

The underglaze colored porcelain first seen in Changsha kiln in Tang Dynasty is mainly seen in the white-black porcelain of Cizhou kiln in Song Dynasty and the blue-glazed carved porcelain of Yaozhou kiln. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hua Niaowen decoration prevailed in Jingdezhen kiln colored porcelain, such as the blue-and-white loquat plate with bird pattern in Xuande in Ming Dynasty, which depicted the vivid image of birds pecking at loquat and became the representative work of colored porcelain Hua Niaowen.

The theme of flowers and birds on porcelain in Chenghua period was more common than that in Xuande period. There are more kinds of birds, most of which live on branches and are lively and active. Hua Niaowen on Kangxi porcelain in Qing Dynasty was more meticulous in Chinese painting, which made the painted flowers and birds more vivid.