Wine containers, jars, pots, vases and bowls, Cizhou ware were mainly used as everyday items and were exported to nations around the world. And I was talking about the 12th century when this happened.
White-Glazed Porcelain Jar With Dragon And Phoenix Design 白地黑花龙凤纹瓷罐
Porcelain | Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) | Dimensions – H: 28cm, D (mouth) 16.5cm, D (Base): 13cm | China Archaeological Museum, Excavated from ruins of Yuan Dadu in Beijing. 瓷｜元（公元1271～1368年）｜高28厘米，口径16.5厘米，足径13厘米｜中国考古博物馆，北京元大都遗址出土
Beijing as a capital is not the most prominent; Nanjing, Xian and Luoyang and more dynasties calling them capital. This is because Beijing is closest to the foreign invaders like the Mongolians, Khitan and Jurchen. Hence it was the only ancient capital that was built and occupied by non-Han Chinese rulers, like the Mongolians (Yuan dynasty) and Jurchens (Qing dynasty). And ruins of the original Yuan Dadu 元大都, aka Khanbaliq 汗八里, threw up many artefacts of the Great Mongolian Empire under Kublai Khan.
This jar was from that period, and it has the typical dragon and phoenix motifs as well as complex cloud formations intertwined with these mystical beasts. Around the rim of the jar is a circle of branch patterns with flowers and leaves. These jars are not rare; in fact they can be found all around the world in museums and antique shops. But one found in the ruins of the Mongolian capital is rare, although I seriously doubt it was from the palace.
Lively, vigorous and bold, the motifs were painted in calligraphic strokes. The range of motifs is wide, including birds, fish and tigers, flowers such as peony, lotus and mallow which were arranged in scrolling patterns and human figures like children at play and characters in legends. There are often painted inscriptions that are related to short poems, wishing auspiciousness, and names of the family workshop.
About Cizhou Kiln 磁州窑
元 白地黑花龙凤纹瓷罐 中国考古博物馆藏
Cizhou Kiln 磁州窑, one of the “eight great kilns of the Song Dynasty (960-1279),” is famous for its black-and-white products and vigorous and imaginative motifs. Though Cizhou ware is, somehow, less high-status than other types such as Jun ware, Longquan celadon and Jingdezhen porcelain, the folk art — free from aristocratic taste — was less affected by political changes and thus gained development over centuries.1
Cizhou Kiln 磁州窑 was founded at the end of the Five Dynasties (907-979) and the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and reached its heyday in the middle and late Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). The most distinctive decorative technique of Cizhou kiln – black painted porcelain with white base 白地黑花 – developed and matured during this period.2 It also reached its peak in the types of utensils, glaze colours, decorative techniques and patterns.
Cizhou-Ware Jar With Dragon And Phoenix Design 白地黑花龙凤纹大罐
A similar jar from the same Cizhou kiln with similar motifs was retrieved from the shipwreck site in Sandaogang, Suizhong, Liaoning Province in the late 1980s.
After the Yuan Dynasty, Cizhou kiln started to decline after the Yuan dynasty even though production quantity increased greatly and sales along the Maritime Silk Road was more widespread. The jar is exactly the product of this period.
Cizhou-Ware Flat Flask With Dragon And Phoenix Design 白地黑花龙凤纹瓷扁壶
瓷｜元（公元1271～1368年）｜中国考古博物馆，北京元大都遗址出土
Porcelain is the creative fruit of the working people of ancient China. Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, porcelain has been exported worldwide. It promotes economic and cultural exchange between China and the outside world, and profoundly influences the traditional culture and lifestyle of people from other countries.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
- 磁州窑的纹饰大部分是来源于民间生活，以各种折枝花卉、缠枝花卉和萱草纹为主。此外，花鸟鱼虫、龙凤鹿马、市侩景物、童叟仕宦、诗歌词赋、儿歌词曲无所不绘，具有特殊美感和鲜明的时代性题材，生动亲切、情趣浓郁而富有幽默感，具有浓郁的民间生活气息，表现了当时人民群众传统的审美观念，可谓是一部历史民俗图像。 ↩︎
- 磁州窑初创于五代末、北宋初，金代中后期达到鼎盛，在器物种类、釉色、装饰技法、纹饰图案方面都达到高峰，磁州窑最具特色的装饰手法——白地黑花也在这一时期发展成熟。元代以后，磁州窑走向衰落，表现为产品种类单调，质量下降，但数量大大增加，销地也更为广泛。该罐正是这一时期产品，其胎体厚重，胎质粗糙，通体施乳白釉，白中泛黄，光泽较差，釉厚薄不匀，局部出现深浅不一的褐色斑痕，这些均属元代磁州窑产品的特征。但其体型硕大，绘画洒脱飘逸，仍不失为磁州窑产品中的上品。七十年代初北京元大都遗址曾出土一件磁州窑凤纹罐，形制、纹饰与其基本相同，表明这类器物似乎与皇家使用有关。https://www.antiquekeeper.ca/?product=宋-耀州窑牡丹纹瓶 ↩︎
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