Chinese Porcelain: Blue-and-White and Celadon

Chinese porcelain (瓷器) is one of China's most celebrated inventions — a material and technique that influenced ceramics worldwide. For over a thousand years, Chinese potters produced ceramics of extraordinary beauty and technical sophistication, from the delicate celadons of the Song Dynasty to the painted enamel wares of the Qing.

Types of Porcelain

Chinese porcelain includes: blue-and-white (青花), painted with cobalt blue under a transparent glaze; celadon (青瓷), with its characteristic green glaze; "famille rose" (粉彩), painted with opaque enamels; and Yixing (宜兴) purple clay teapots, unglazed and prized for tea brewing.

Production Centers

Jingdezhen (景德镇) in Jiangxi Province was the center of Chinese porcelain production for centuries. The imperial kiln (官窑) produced ceramics for the court; private kilns (民窑) supplied domestic and export markets. Today, Chinese porcelain remains among the most valuable artworks at auction.