For the purist Orientalist the finest ceramics would probably be the best of the Song celadons (some fine pieces were also produced under the Jin and Yuan dynasities). The term celadon is somewhat vague and myth has it that the name itself came from a character in a French 17th century play called Celadon. One definition is a stoneware which is fired at about 1200 to 1280 centigrade and covered with a glaze with a lime alkali iron content. . Glazes are not necessarily green but can be other colours as well.
Nothern Celadons were mainly made at Yaozhou in Shaanxi, celadons from here are referred to as Yaozhou. The main centre for the production of celadons in the south was at Longquan and it these Longquan celadons which are still readily available. Some celadons are decorated with incised or moulded designs, the moulded decoration being later, introduced about the beginning of the twelfth century.
The most appealing and also the most difficult to come by are the Ru and Guan wares, the former made at the end of the Norhern Song( that fell in 1127 AD) and the latter at the beginningo the Southern Song. Here in London these Imperial or Official wares can best be seen at the Percival David Foundation or the British Museum.
Song pieces tend to be smaller than those made in the Ming period. On many celadons, due their iron-oxide content, exposed areas are burnt red on firing. This can most easily be seen on Ming dishes and censers that were fired on a ring which left a red band.
We recommend the book Chinese Celadon Wares, by Gompertz( See the annotated bibliography by M Medley.) as starting point for someone beginning to take an interest in the subject.
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