Jingdezhen Jar at The British Museum, London

myminifactory

Qingbai refers to a variety of thin and often translucent porcelains with a transparent blue-tinged glaze, also called yingqing wares. The finest qinbai wares come from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province and are the precursors of blue-and-white porcelain. Despite their quality, they never enjoyed great prestige at court. Much of Qingbai ware was used by commoners, unusual during this period, as most pottery was strictly for imperial use. Qingbai ware is not considered part of the five classic wares of the Song Dynasty. Ding ware is an off-white porcelain; Qingbai ware is Ding ware that has achieved true translucency, with a pure white porcelain body and a bluish-green glaze. Makers of Qingbai ware achieved this by using kaolin and fine-grained porcelain stone to support thin-walled vessels. Kaolin gives the porcelain its true white color and allows for minimal shrinking of the vessel. Qingbai reached its peak from the 10th through 13th centuries, centered in Jiangxi province in Jingdezhen town. Advances in chemistry allowed the creation of thin-walled vessels. Qingbai is distinguished by its smooth, glassy glaze achieved using a small amount of iron in a reduction-fired kiln. The result is the characteristic blue-green tinted finish. Local fabrics lent themselves to decorating Qingbai vessels. Potters referenced detailed fabric designs to achieve great variety in their designs. Qingbai also borrowed and improved on decoration from Ding and Yaozhou wares. Minute detail and beading accent many vessel rims. In the early 14th century, Jingdezhen potters created a sturdier ceramic body by adding more kaolin to the clay, referred to as luanbai ware due to its opaque glaze. Qingbai initially appeared in the Northern Song period from about 960 to 1127 and became sought after in the Chinese market. It became even more popular during the Southern Song period from approximately 1127 to 1279. Qingbai was also exported in quantity to China's neighboring nations. Many kilns used to make Qingbai ware have been unearthed, suggesting great popularity and widespread efforts to duplicate Qingbai throughout the realm. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for public access free of charge. Scan the World is an open source community effort; if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help. Scanned by Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)