A Landmark in the History of Chinese Ceramics: The Invention of Blue-and-white Porcelain in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 A.D.)

Abstract

This study investigates the origin and development of Tang blue-and-white porcelain. Test samples consist of excavated shards of blue-and-white porcelain, white porcelain, Tang tricolor pottery, and blue-on-white pottery from the Tang strata of the Baihe and the Huangye kiln sites. The chemical compositions, firing temperatures, and physical properties were studied scientifically, and multivariate statistical analysis was applied to analyze the compositional data. The results show that Tang blue-and-white porcelain developed from a mature manufacturing technology of white porcelain in the late Tang. Moreover, the type of cobalt pigment used is similar to that used for blue-on-white pottery. This study contributes to our understanding of the invention of Tang blue-and-white porcelain.

Pottery technology in the Tang dynasty (ninth century ad): archaeometric analyses of a Gongyi sherd found at Siraf, Iran

“…These pots were calcium‐alkali glazed (Li et al . , 31), like the Gongyi (or Siraf) sherd analysed here. The blue area in the Siraf sherd must have been made by applying a pigmented glaze as the colour is clearly localized, and the rest of the glaze is transparent.…”

“…Although there are only published results for three minor oxides and copper, Li et al . (, table 3) noted some compositional similarities between glazes used at Gongyi and at the Huangye and Bahie kilns. The manganese content in the glazes from the two sites in Li et al .…”

“…contain copper (0.03–0.11%: Li et al . , table 3), but copper was not detected by SEM‐EDX in the Gongyi sherd. However, the SEM‐EDX methodology employed in this study gives a limit of detection for copper of 0.1%.…”

“…Li et al . () analysed late Tang dynasty blue‐and‐white stoneware from the Gongyi kiln by Energy Dispersive X‐Ray Fluorescence analysis (EDXRF). These pots were calcium‐alkali glazed (Li et al .…”

“…During the refurbishment of the British Museum's Islamic gallery in 2017, the blue‐spotted sherd from Siraf was analysed before being put on display in order to investigate the manufacturing techniques for the paste and the glaze, including the blue decorative motif, and to compare the results with analyses of published blue‐and‐white Tang stoneware (Li et al . ). The archaeometric analyses were designed to check if this was a local copy or an import, and if the latter, whether its attribution to Gongyi is beyond question.…”