Proto celadon Zun wine vessel Shang period 16 to 11th century BCE

Proto-celadon (Chinese: 灰釉陶, also 原始青瓷) was a type of

Chinese ceramic Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from construc ...

which developed during the

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

and Jin periods. It is often described as "proto-porcelain", and was usually glazed in light yellowish green. Proto celadon jar with ears and vertical stripes Warring States period 475BCE 211BCE

Proto celadon jar with ears and vertical stripes Warring States period 475BCE 211BCE

The body of proto-celadon was high-fired, the Chinese classification including

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

, with an iron content below 3%.

Shanghai Museum The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. Rebuilt at its current location in 1996, it is considered one of China's first world-class modern museums and fa ...

permanent exhibit Firing temperature was around 1200 degrees Celsius. In Western terms the wares are

stoneware Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refractory fire clay. Whether vi ...

. Surface treatment consisted of a lime glaze. The shapes manufactured in proto-celadon were similar to the objects manufactured in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

. Proto-celadon was mainly produced in the areas south of the

Yangtze river The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. From the Han dynasty onward, production greatly improved in quantity and quality.

Inception of true celadon

Celadon lion shaped Bixie Western Jin period 265 317CE

From the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

period, true

celadon ''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that wa ...

ware (Chinese: 成熟青瓷) started to appear, with production focused in

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

. Although still following the shapes and patterns of proto-celadon wares, these advances now represented the characteristics of porcelain, with refined clays and appropriate firing temperatures. These advances were followed by those of

Yue ware Yue or Yueh ( ) may refer to: Places * Guangdong, abbreviated (), a province of China * Yue Nan (), the Chinese name for Vietnam * Zhejiang, commonly abbreviated (), a province of China Languages * Yue Chinese, a branch of Chinese, spoken ...

, and the blooming of celadon production from the period of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

. File:Celadon Lian bowl with Buddhist figures Western Jin 265 317CE.jpg, Celadon '' Lian'' bowl with Buddhist figures,

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

, 265-317 CE. File:Celadon jar Eastern Jin 317 420 CE.jpg, Celadon jar,

Eastern Jin Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

, 317-420 CE. File:Celadon jar with brown spots Eastern Jin 317 420 CE.jpg, Celadon jar with brown spots,

, 317-420 CE.

Notes

External links

A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics
from The Metropolitan Museum of Art {{Porcelain Chinese pottery