Dengfeng Kiln Ceramic Firing Techniques

Henan
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Dengfeng Kiln Ceramic Firing Technique is a local traditional technique in Dengfeng City, Henan Province, and one of the national intangible cultural heritages. Dengfeng Kiln Ceramic Firing Technique is inherited from Donghua Town, Dengfeng City and surrounding areas. It began in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and has been popular and declining. Dengfeng Kiln Ceramic has rich connotations. In terms of firing techniques, ceramics are used as carriers. The shapes of products can be small or large, mainly white porcelain, and "pearl ground scratching" is a typical representative; there are bowls, plates, bottles, jars, basins, pots, saucers, pillows, elephant animals and maid figurines. The glaze is white, pure and bright. The decorative techniques include traditional techniques such as scratching, engraving, fine line scratching, inlaying and soft brush painting. The finished product has a strong three-dimensional sense and distinctive characteristics, which contains the folk customs and folk culture of the Central Plains. Dengfeng Kiln refers to the ancient porcelain kilns in Dengfeng from the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. More than 30 ancient porcelain kiln sites have been discovered. The core kilns of Dengfeng Kiln mainly include the Quhe Kiln in Gaocheng Town, which is famous for producing pearl-ground scratched patterns; the white porcelain kiln site group of the Sui, Tang, Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties centered on the Qianzhuang Kiln (Shenqian Kiln) in Xuanhua Town; and the Jun porcelain kiln site group of the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties centered on the Cheng Kiln in Baiping Township. Judging from archaeological data, Dengfeng Kiln was founded in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty, declined in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, and continued to be fired in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with a firing history of more than 1,000 years. Dengfeng Kiln has a long history. Red pottery and striped gray pottery were discovered at the Shuangmiaogou site during the Peiligang culture period more than 8,000 years ago. White pottery was discovered at the Wangchenggang site and Junzhao Nanwa during the Longshan culture period, completing the transition from pottery to porcelain. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the earliest white porcelain in the north was bred and born here; during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the earliest celadon was discovered, and it became the firing center of celadon in the north; during the Northern Song Dynasty, the production of Dengfeng Kiln reached its peak, with rich categories, fine workmanship and unique decoration. The historical records of Dengfeng Kiln's ceramic firing techniques began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. There are detailed records in the "Yuanfeng Jiuyu Zhi", "Ceramic History", "Supplement to the Origin and Development of Ancient and Modern Porcelain", "Henan Yitong Zhi" in the Ming Dynasty, "Tao Shuo" and "Chinese Ceramics" in the Qing Dynasty. The "Shenqian" of Dengfeng Kiln and the Shenhu landscape of Jun porcelain are connected, and the firing techniques complement each other. The products include bowls, plates, bottles, jars, basins, pots, saucers, pillows, elephants and maid figurines. The firing process includes raw material selection, glaze processing, clay training, molding, makeup, decoration, glazing, firing, etc. The whole process is wet work and fired at one time. In the Palace Museum, there is a national treasure "Pearl Ground Double Dragon and Tiger Pattern Bottle". On the pure white glaze, there is a pearl-like round background. Two tigers are carved on the bottle, one standing and the other walking, baring their teeth and raising their tails, both agile and fierce, fighting in the grass, with travertine and banana leaves as the background, and a circle of lotus petals near the bottom. Small pearl-shaped circles are stamped in the blank space outside the pattern. This bottle is neatly made, with smooth lines, harmonious colors, vivid and realistic paintings, and vigorous and powerful brushwork. This porcelain is a classic work of Dengfeng Kiln. On November 11, 2014, Dengfeng Kiln Ceramic Firing Techniques was approved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China to be included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects, project number: -216.

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