Qingbai porcelain, also known as "shadow celadon" and "reflection celadon", is a fine porcelain product fired in Jingdezhen in the Song Dynasty, and is also the main porcelain variety in the Song and Yuan dynasties. The main kiln site for firing Qingbai porcelain in Jingdezhen is in Hutian kiln, which has been fired for more than 700 years.
Hutian kiln porcelain began in the Five Dynasties period, in the Northern Song Dynasty Zhenzong period production has made significant progress, began to fire Qingbai porcelain, and in the Yuan Dynasty, Yuan ** in Jingdezhen set up a special responsible for the royal porcelain "Fuliang Magnetic Bureau", and Hutian kiln as one of the designated kilns, the firing of Qingbai porcelain developed to the peak, and after the Ming Dynasty, the porcelain-making technology of Hutian kiln began to decline, and the porcelain produced gradually became rough, and was eventually eliminated by the market.
The glaze of the shadow celadon is blue and white and elegant, the glaze is smooth and bright, the fetal quality is firm and greasy white, and the color is warm and moist, so it has the reputation of "beautiful jade in porcelain". At that time, most of the shadow celadon was decorated with delicate transparent flying phoenixes, which were very exquisite, and these patterns were carved on the body by highly skilled porcelain craftsmen, and were formed after firing with transparent blue glaze, so the shadow celadon also had the characteristics of "color white and blue", and it was a fine porcelain produced in Jingdezhen.
In the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty, the production technology of Qingbai porcelain in Hutian kilns had matured, and in addition to continuing to use single-piece back-firing, they also began to use a high-cost porcelain box for firing. During this period, the Hutian kiln shadow celadon, the types of utensils increased significantly, the shape tended to be straight, the ornamentation was rich, not only bowls, dishes and other daily necessities, but also bottles, stoves, aromatherapy, pillows and other utensils of different shapes. The depiction of public welfare is also very skillful and smooth, with more repetitive and precise ornaments such as group chrysanthemums and dragons and phoenixes, as well as complex patterns such as babies playing in the water.
As a fine product of porcelain, although the production technology and decline, the shadow celadon has always been a wonderful flower in the history of porcelain, with a breathtaking history and technology.