98 Questions
Who founded the Wedgwood pottery business?
Josiah Wedgwood
What type of ware did Wedgwood perfect in 1775?
Jasperware
Which item is the most important piece of Wedgwood's production?
Portland Vase reproduction
Which element is NOT true about Wedgwood's jasperware?
Undercutting while the clay is hard
Wedgwood established his works and built a village at which location?
Etruria
What is Queen's Ware named after?
Queen Charlotte
Which ware was revived in 1878 by Wedgwood?
Porcelain
Which sculptor gave a distinctive character to Wedgwood's work?
John Flaxman
What type of ware supplanted glaze ware due to Wedgwood's improvement?
Cream ware
How are pieces of white bas-relief jasper called?
Solid Jasper
What is Basalt Ware primarily made of?
Clay, ironstone, ocher, and oxide of manganese
Which ware takes its name from the veining of natural stones?
Agate Ware
Which type of ware did Josiah Spode, Jr., invent a superior kind of?
Bone china
Whose wares are known for being soft, light in weight, and having an excellent glaze?
Thomas Whieldon
Which ware is characterized by under-glaze blue-printed cream ware, stone china, and jasper ware?
Spode Ware
Which ware was made by applying layers of different colored clays twisted together?
Agate Ware
Who made fine busts using Basalt Ware?
Josiah Wedgwood
Which type of ware did Thomas Whieldon make that is known as tortoise-shell ware?
Whieldon Ware
Who established a factory at Stoke-on-Trent in 1770?
Josiah Spode
Which ware is made using coarse reddish clay?
Toft Ware
Which of the following locations was known for producing Sgraffito Ware in the 18th century?
Pennsylvania
John Norton was associated with which type of ceramic work?
Utilitarian terra-cotta slip and salt glazed stoneware
Where was the first true porcelain made in the U.S.?
Jersey City, New Jersey
Which Chinese pottery type is known for its eggshell thinness and black lacquer appearance?
Lungshan
During which period was pottery made by coiling and then beaten with a paddle in China?
Neolithic Period
In which Chinese province is Yangshao village located?
Hunan
Which cultural characteristic did NOT influence Chinese art?
Imitations of bronze vessels
What temperature range was used to fire Yangshao pottery?
1000-1500°C
Which type of pottery is undecorated and almost metallic in form?
Lungshan
In which period did Shang ceramic molds for bronze casting appear?
Shang Period
What is the geographical range of the Staffordshire pottery district?
10 miles long and 3 to 5 miles wide
Which type of ware was not produced independently by the Staffordshire potters?
Porcelain
Who introduced under-glaze blue transfer printing in Staffordshire?
John Turner
Which type of ceramic ware is characterized by its jade-like glaze and refined shapes?
Celadon
Which style of ceramic ware was produced specifically for the Imperial court and is extremely rare?
Ru ware
Which potter is associated with the production of the new willow pattern in 1784?
Josiah Spode
Which items were not commonly produced by Staffordshire potters?
Tea sets
Which ware is known for its underglaze black decoration?
Tzu Chou
How were the figures colored between 1740 and 1780?
Using pigments under the glaze
Which type of ware achieved high prestige in the Song dynasty and is often related to tea-drinking?
Chi-Chou
What was a significant change in Staffordshire pottery beginning in the 19th century?
Larger production of blue transfer-printed wares
Which type of ware is also known as longquan qingci?
Celadon
Who among the following is not listed as a well-known Staffordshire potter?
Charles Dickens
Which ware is considered one of the Five Great Kilns of the Sung dynasty and has a wide-meshed crackle?
Guan
Which ceramic type is known for using leaves or paper cut-outs to create resist patterns in the glaze?
Chi-Chou
What was the characteristic of Staffordshire pottery that helped in its identification?
Exclusive border patterns
What influenced the creation of the new patterns in Staffordshire pottery around 1820?
Actual views of places
During which period did Celadon wares come into being?
Six Dynasties
What is a characteristic color of Northern Song celadons?
Grayish-green
Which ware is known for its 'duck-egg blue' glaze?
Ru ware
During which period was coarse red earthenware with lead glazes introduced?
Period of Warring States
What type of clay was used for the body of Chou vessels?
Hard grey clay
Which type of ware resembled bronzes in the Zhou period?
Coarse red earthenware with lead glazes
Which colors were most commonly used for painting ready-made Han pottery wares?
Brown and green
What was a common feature of pottery during the latter part of the Chou dynasty?
Hatching and cross-hatching ornamentation
Which shapes were commonly used in Eastern Han mortuary pottery?
Dragons and hills
Where was stoneware with a pale brown glaze produced during the Zhou period?
The south
When did blue porcelain reach its maturity?
In the Eastern Han
What key ingredient in the pigment gives blue porcelain its unique bluish green or yellow luster?
Iron
Which dynasty is marked as the Golden Age of Chinese culture, according to the text?
Sung/Song dynasty
What is Yüeh ware?
Celadon-glazed stoneware
What were the main colors of the glazes introduced during the T'ang dynasty?
Green, yellow, blue, and golden brown
What unique design feature did the blue glazed porcelain pot from the Eastern Han dynasty have?
A rooster’s head spout and tail handle
How was the blue color produced in the three-colored glazes (sancai) of the T'ang dynasty?
By adding cobalt oxide
Which period was marked by the appearance of celadon-glazed stoneware known as Yüeh ware?
Six Dynasties period
What distinguished the T'ang dynasty's pottery wares?
Full and vigorous shapes with colored glazes
What kind of objects were blue porcelain art objects found among from the Wei-Jin period?
Burial objects
Which color glaze had the widest color range during the T'ang dynasty?
Brown glaze
Which type of ware is known for its well-marked crackle glaze?
Ke Yao
Which ware is decorated with motifs such as dragons, fish, lotuses, and peonies?
Ting
Which type of ware was mostly used for burial purposes and exports?
Ching Pai
Which ware is a grayish-white stoneware with thick glaze ranging from blue to lavender?
Chun
Which ware was prized by Japanese monks who studied in Chinese Zen monasteries?
Chien Yao
During which dynasty did the technique for blue and white wares develop?
Yuan Dynasty
Which ware is known for its bluish-green glaze and was admired for its decorative motifs?
Ting
Which ware was never made for imperial use but appreciated by collectors later?
Ching Pai
Which ware is known for its dark brown, almost black glaze?
Chien Yao
What is one distinctive feature of Ke Yao or Ge ware that relates to its glaze?
Well-marked crackle
Which of the following styles is a polychrome enamel that includes a black ground?
famille noir
What is the characteristic color of the Sang de Boeuf glaze?
Copper red
Which glaze effect was revived from the Ming Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty?
Peach bloom
What is the effect of copper oxide not being completely reduced in the Peach Bloom glaze?
Creates green spots
What influenced the establishment of private kilns producing high-quality porcelain during the Qing Dynasty?
Collapse of official kilns
Which term describes a soft, pale blue or lavender glaze specifically reserved for Imperial Porcelains?
Claire de lune
Which technological advancement had been perfected in the Qing Dynasty to create the Sang de Boeuf glaze?
Copper incorporation in firing
What caused the stagnation in Chinese porcelain production by the end of the 18th century?
Endless repetitions of old motifs and forms
Which glaze effect was appreciated for its antique appearance and often used to imitate the patina of archaic bronze?
Tea dust
Which Qing Dynasty reigns are most famous for their porcelain wares?
Yongzheng, Kangxi, and Qianlong
Which dynasty saw the major export of blue and white ware to Europe?
Ming Dynasty
What was the primary material used in Ming Dynasty ceramic art?
White porcelain
What pigment was originally imported from Iran and used in Ming Dynasty ceramics?
Cobalt oxide
What new type of ware was developed during the Ming era?
Tou-ts'ai
Which reign reached the zenith in overglaze enamel decorations during the Ming Dynasty?
Chenghua (1465-87)
The 'WAN LI' five-color ware incorporates which of these colors?
Blue, Green, Yellow, Eggplant Purple, and Iron Red
What characteristic of Chenghua porcelain wares distinguished them?
Delicate and light-colored with Chinese ink wash painting flavor
Which type of porcelain was characterized by soft, creamy white glazes originating from Dehua?
Blanc de Chine
During which reigns did blue and white porcelain see a major resurgence in the late Ming Dynasty?
Jiajing, Longqing, and Wanli
What new enamel style introduced from Europe became popular in the late 17th century?
Famille rose
Study Notes
Materials of Decoration
Basalt Ware
- A solid black stoneware of great hardness, unglazed
- Takes its name from a black Egyptian rock
- One of the earliest products of the English potter's art
- Wedgwood's basalt is regarded as superior to others
Agate Ware
- Earthenware made either solid or in surface decoration to resemble the veining of agate or other natural stones
- If solid, produced by layers of different colored clays twisted together and then cut transversely with wire
- The surface ware is splashed and grained on an ordinary cream body
Whieldon Ware
- A term derived from the tortoise-shell ware made by Thomas Whieldon
- Applied to all classes of ware of a mottled, cloudy or splashed character
- Whieldon's tortoise-shell ware was soft, light in weight, with an excellent glaze and extremely rich in effect
Spode Ware
- In 1770, Josiah Spode established a factory at Stoke-on-Trent
- Produced under-glaze blue-printed cream ware of excellent quality, stone china, black and jasper ware
- The stone china was of exceptional quality, semi-porcelain and frequently translucent
- Transfer-printing in blue and other colors was one of the foundations of their prosperity
Toft Ware
- Slip-decorated pottery made by Thomas Toft in Staffordshire in the latter half of the 17th century
- The material of this ware was usually coarse reddish clay and the decorating is done in a rather crude manner
American Ceramics
- American ceramics was centered on three main sites: Pennsylvania, Bennington, Vermont, and Jersey City, New Jersey
- Sgraffito Ware was produced in Pennsylvania by the Germans during the middle of the 18th century
- John Norton, in Bennington, Vermont, produced utilitarian terra-cotta slip with and salt glazed stoneware
Chinese Ceramics
- Chinese art today represents a living tradition with more than 3,000 years of history behind it
- The Neolithic Period (5000-2200 B.C.):
- Pottery was made by coiling and then beating the shapes with a paddle
- Toward the end of the period, vessels were begun using the handbuilt technique, then finished on a wheel
- Pottery recovered from excavations all over China included the beautifully painted YANGSHAO and the black LUNGSHAN
- The Shang Period (1570-1045 B.C.):
- The Neolithic prototypes became the basis for bronze vessels during this period
- Shang ceramic molds for bronze casting, made of high-quality clay, have been found
Wedgwood Ware
- Named after its creator, Josiah Wedgwood
- He was one of the first men to unite art and industry
- Perfected cream ware in 1762, which improved upon the earlier product and was to be copied by other potters
Jasperware
- This fine, hard, unglazed white bisque made by Wedgwood and other potters was perfected about 1775
- Made in various surface colors introduced about 1777, known as dip jasper
Cream Ware
- The term applies to all light-colored English earthenware from about 1750 to the present time
- Perfected by Wedgwood by the use of Cornwall clay and adopted as the standard earthenware of Staffordshire
Queen’s Ware
- Original cream-colored earthenware named for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III
Staffordshire
- A generic term applying to the products of many potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, Hanley, Cobridge, Etruria, Burslem, Fenton, Tunstall, Longport, Shelton, Lane End, and some other lesser known places
- Produced a variety of wares, including slip wares, agate, tortoise-shell, black basalt, and jasper ware
Period of Warring States
- The Chou Dynasty (1122-255 B.C.):
- Produced utilitarian pottery like funerary urns, cooking vessels, and libation jars
- The body of the Chou vessels was made of hard grey clay which had no glaze on its surface
- The Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.):
- In the middle of this period, there appeared glazed pottery fired at a low degree
- Ceramics of this period include earthenware mortuary vessels and glazed wares
T'ang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.)
- Following the Han dynasty, marked by great power and prosperity
- Most surviving pieces have been gathered from tombs, since many pottery pieces from the Tang dynasty were used as tomb figures and furnishings for prominent members of Tang society
- The full and vigorous shapes, including some Western forms, attained a new splendor with the invention of colored glazes### Ancient Chinese Stoneware
- Celadon ware originated during the Six Dynasties period (907-960 AD) and is characterized by simple yet refined shapes, jade-like glaze, and solid substance.
- Longquan County, Zhejiang Province, is famous for producing high-quality celadon ware, also known as Longquan Qingci.
- Qingci means "greenish porcelain" in Chinese.
Northern Song Celadons (12th century)
- Gray stoneware body covered in transparent olive or light brown glaze.
- shapes were mostly vases or incense burners.
Southern Song Celadons (Lung-ch'uan)
- White porcelain with light bluish-green jadelike crackled glazes.
- Shapes were varied, inspired by ancient bronzes, Middle Eastern metalwork, and glass.
- Many were exported.
B.Tzu Chou ware
- Characterized by underglaze black decoration on white or glazed porcelain.
- High-quality ware with bold slip painting, sgraffito, carving, incising, impressing, and molding, as well as polychrome overglaze enameling.
C.Ru or Ju ware
- Famous and extremely rare type of pottery produced for the Imperial court around 1100 AD.
- Fewer than 100 pieces survive.
- Distinctive pale "duck-egg blue" glaze and otherwise undecorated.
- Considered one of the Five Great Kilns of the Sung dynasty.
D.Chi-Chou or Jizhou ware
- Originated from Jiangxi Province.
- Simple shapes in stoneware with a strong emphasis on subtle effects in the dark glaze.
- Often combined with other decorative effects, such as leaves or paper-cut-outs to create resist patterns in the glaze.
E.Kuan ("official") or Guan
- Rare type of ware with a stoneware body washed with brown slip and glaze varying from pale green to lavender blue with a wide-meshed crackle.
- Considered one of the Five Great Kilns of the Sung dynasty.
Materials of Decoration
February - June 2020
- Ke Yao or Ge: related to KUAN ware with a dark stoneware body and grayish-white glaze.
- Ting or Ding: white and coarse, with a transparent green glaze, often decorated with motifs like dragons, fish, lotuses, and peonies.
- Qingbal or Ch'ing Pai ware: white with a bluish-green tint, with a body that is not translucent.
- Chun or Jun: grayish-white stoneware covered with a thick glaze ranging from blue to lavender and suffused with crimson purple.
- Chien Yao (Jian): dark ware with a very dark brown, almost black glaze, often decorated with leaves or paper-cutouts.
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD)
- Many Sung wares continued, with the development of underglaze, a new porcelain-making art.
- White ware called SHU FU appeared, with the development of blue and white wares.
Ming Dynasty (1368-1643 AD)
- Blue and white ware became a major export item.
- Ceramic art flourished, with fine white porcelain as the staple product.
- Painting on pottery and porcelain became richly colorful.
- Brush painting directly on the baked clay reached its zenith in China.
Materials of Decoration - February-June 2020
Ming Dynasty (1368-1643 AD) (continued)
- Delicate Tou-ts'ai ware: a glassy porcelain with overglaze enamel painting.
- Overglaze technique, which evolved over two centuries, demanded correct preparation of the enamels, skill in application, and proper firing temperature.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD)
- A vast number of fine porcelain vessels were produced for both domestic and foreign markets.
- Popular polychrome enamel styles were famille verte (green, yellow, and aubergine purple) and its derivatives: famille noir (black ground) and famille jaune (yellow ground).
Sang de Boeuf (Oxblood Glaze)
- A glossy, rich, blood-red glaze, often slashed with streaks of purple or turquoise, used to decorate pottery, particularly porcelain.
Peach Bloom
- A glaze of pinkish-red mottled with russet spots and tinged with green.
Tea-dust
- A dark green or brownish and often speckled glaze, likely discovered by accident.
Claire de lune
- A high-fired soft, pale, or lavender-blue glaze, reserved exclusively for Imperial Porcelains.
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