Celadon

celadon, greenish ceramic glaze that is used on stoneware. Celadon is used both for the glaze itself and for the article so glazed. It is particularly valued in China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan.

To create this ware, artisans apply a wash of slip (liquefied clay), which contains a high proportion of iron, to the body of the stoneware before glazing. The iron interacts with the glaze during the firing and colours it one of various shades of green. First made in China, celadon was exported to India, Persia, and Egypt in the Tang dynasty (618–907), to most of Asia in the Song (960–1279) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, and to Europe in the 14th century. The ware was popular because of its beauty; the Chinese also valued it because it resembled jade. Adding to its popularity was a widely believed superstition suggesting that a celadon dish would break or change colour if poisoned food were put into it.

Yue ware, first made in the Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) in China, was the earliest celadon; the glaze used was olive or brownish green. Beginning in the late Han period, the kilns in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces became important celadon producers. The celadons of the Song dynasty, which came from the kilns of Longquan, were the first to reach Europe. Guan kiln, Ru kiln, and Yaozhou kiln also produced celadon during this period. Surviving wares include large dishes, bowls, and large vases. The glaze of these works, superb in quality, is a transparent green colour and is thick and viscous, usually with a well-marked crackle. Decoration was usually incised in celadon, but molded ornament was also sometimes used. On some pots the molding was left unglazed, so that it burned to a dark reddish brown—an effective contrast to the colour of the glaze. Most celadons attributable to the Ming dynasty have incised, under-the-glaze floral and foliate decoration.

Korean celadons of the Koryŏ period (918–1392) had a glaze that varied from bluish green to a putty colour. Many of the forms were lobed, based on the melon or the gourd. Korean celadon’s major divergence from typical Chinese celadon was the inlaid decoration often found beneath the glaze. The designs were first incised into the clay and the incisions were then filled with black-and-white slip. The inlaid patterns were diverse, but most of the subjects were floral, with occasional birds and clouds. Isolated flowers with symmetrically radiating petals were also popular, principally on boxes. During the early part of the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910), patterns were often impressed on the stoneware by stamps rather than incised freehand.

Thai celadons, influenced by Chinese wares, had a translucent glaze, usually grayish green and often crackled, over a grayish white body. Roughly incised vertical flutes were a common decoration. Other forms of decoration (usually floral motifs) were incised under the glaze. Common forms included covered bowls, dishes, ewers, and bottles with two small loop handles at the neck.

In Japan, the importation of Yue ware and the respect for Korean celadon led to imitative production near Seto (Aichi prefecture) during the Kamakura period (1192–1333). The most important ware from this period is known as Old Seto, a true celadon that was often oxidized to what the Japanese call a “dead leaf” colour. Ritual vases, loop-handled jars, rice-wine vessels, ewers, and incense burners were among the Old Seto ware; glazes included black and olive green. During the 17th century (Edo period), fine examples of celadon were also made at the famous Nabeshima kilns at Arita, Japan (see Imari ware).

In modern times, large-scale production of traditional celadon domestic wares has been undertaken at Bangkok. Ingenious copies of early ware were made in the 20th century in China, Japan, and Korea.