Painted Pottery

Painted Pottery A brief historytheir day to day activities. Cooking and food
Painted Pottery is an art form that has beenpreparation was usually done with pottery rather
practiced in China since the Neolithic period.than with porcelain.
The early potters of the Neolithic and the XiaFrom the middle of the Tang Dynasty, porcelain
Dynasty, decorated their pottery with image thatbecame a more artistic product and was seldom
reflected the daily lives of the cultures. Theused for domestic purposes; this is especially true
images of fish, animals, people and those offor the high quality porcelains produced throughout
geometric designs were widely distributedthe Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
throughout the pottery of the early period ofToday, the roles are somewhat reversed, the
pottery history. This was not only so with theuse of porcelain has tended to become more of a
Chinese pottery makers but it was a featuredomestically used product and painted pottery an
common to all potters of all the peoples acrossartistic form. Since the late 17th century the
the world. The Making of pottery was aproduction of porcelain has grown to such an
characteristic feature of all societies that wereextent that it is a common everyday item within
engaged in an agricultural based life-style. Potterymost households. Dinner-sets, and " crockery " in
was used extensively for storage of grains andgeneral are all to a large extent produced from
for the cooking and preparation of food stuffs.either porcelain or from " china-ware". China-ware
Pottery was an essential part of the daily lives ofis actually similar to porcelain though it is fired at a
all the agrarian cultures.lower temperature.
The development of art, culture and the changingPainted Pottery has become in the last twenty
nature of the lives of people lead to the creationyears a product that is almost purely decorative.
of new styles and forms of pottery. The ultimateSeldom is painted pottery ever used as a
development of pottery was the making ofdomestic product. The painted pottery produced
porcelain with its enhanced range and diversity oftoday is of a highly decorative nature, the
products. Porcelain became the dominant force inextensive use of colour combined with traditional
pottery making and was throughout the Zhou,designs of the Tang and Ming periods create
Han and Tang Dynasties a major feature of theworks that are artistic and aesthetically pleasing.
art of the Chinese peoples.Painted Pottery of the highest quality is produced
The initial stages in the development of porcelainin Central China around the western city of
was the increased diversification of the paintedChendu. The area has become a center for such
pottery. The Xia and Shang periods, areworks although the quality varies greatly from
characterized by primitive designs but, these earlyone producer to the next.
works were soon replaced by more elaboratedHigh quality Painted Pottery is characterized by a
creations. The use of painted pottery techniquesthin wall construction that is similar to porcelain in
in the production of figurines during the Han andnature and combined with brightly coloured
Sui dynasties is testimony to the advanced natureenamels that, when added to the ancient raw
of the products.materials, produces a product with a character
Contemporary Painted Potteryand quality that is unique unto itself.
Painted Pottery continued to be producedsupply a range of painted pottery that is
throughout all of the dynasties of Chinese historyindividually selected based on the standards of
though it has almost always existed in thestyle, construction and paint quality that is of the
shadow of porcelain. Along with Celadon porcelainhighest level.
it was the main product used by the people for