The four hundred years following
the fall of the Han dynasty (i.e. the 3rd to 7th centuries
A.D.) witnessed a tumultuous period in Chinese history,
marked by a long division of China into the Wei, Chin,
Northern and Southern dynasties. These circumstances
encouraged increased communication and interchange between
the folk cultures and lifestyles of various regions, which
led to new developments in pottery design. In the north,
remnants of the old Han styles combined with the new
influences of Buddhism and the indigene styles of
newly-arrived migrant nomad peoples to form new and
distinctive types of pottery; on the other hand, the south
of China, focusing around Chou high-fired stoneware
tradition as well as the Eastern Han green-glazed ware
tradition. In the Chin dynasty, green-glazed ware came to
be used not only for articles for daily use, such as
pitchers, jars and dishes, but also for ritual burial
objects, the majority of which were made of green-glazed
ware in this period. The shapes of the vessels favored in
the south also differed considerably from those to be
found in the north; many uniquely shaped vessels were
developed in the south, including the chicken-head
pitcher, the shen-t'ing (a type of vase crowned with human
figures and buildings) and the frog-shaped vessel. The
Chekiang region, with its favorable natural conditions and
its rich and ancient tradition of pottery craft, set the
stage for the later development of the exquisite
green-glazed ware to be produced by the Yueh-chou kilns in
the Tang and Five Dynasties periods.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the political center of
the empire was located in Shensi and Honan, and this was
also the seat of white porcelain production. This created
a localization of speciality characterized as "white
in the north, celadon in the south." The most
distinctive pottery of the Tang dynasty, Tang three-color
glazed ware, with its plump full shapes and ornate florid
coloring, gives a vivid concrete impression of the
flourishing power and prosperity of the Tang empire at its
height. The political stability, population growth and
expansion of the middle-class which marked the Tang
dynasty led to continual improvements in the art of
pottery. Renowned kilns sprang up all over the empire,
producing wares named after their locations such as
Hsing-chou ware, Yueh-chou ware and Wu-chou ware.
With the political turmoil following upon the demise of
the Tang, all the kilns fell into decline, with the single
exception of the Yueh-chou kiln of the Wu-yueh region,
managed by the Ch'ien family, which alone continued to
flourish.
( extracted
from exhibition catalogue of National Palace Museum
)
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