Qingbai (Yingqing) Wares

Qingbai (Yingqing) Wares

The term Qingbai (ie bluish white) was first found in Song texts. For example the Northern Song official Peng Ruli.(彭汝砺）in his poem (送许屯田）in Northern Song 2nd year of Zhiping （治平） (A.D. 1065) mentioned that Fuliang (where Jingdezhen was situated) made porcelain with colour like jade (浮梁巧烧瓷，颜色比琼玖)。　The term yingqing (shadow blue) was coined during the Qing dynasty to describe this same category of wares. Qingbai as compared with Tang/Song white wares has the following distinct differences: the glaze is more fluid with bluish tone where the glaze accumulated and a more whitish tone if it is thin. The glaze is more transparent with a greater degree of lustre.

The colourant of the qingbai glaze is the iron oxide in the raw materials used to make the glaze. The glaze composition is also high in calcium oxide which enable a bluish tinge to develop when fired under reduction atmosphere. The glaze will be a light yellowish tone if not properly reduced during reduction firing.

Qingbai wares were first introduced during the Northern Song Dynasty with the best made in Hutian near Jingdezhen. It is generally believed that Hutian was the first to produce them. However, recent excavation revealed that Fanchang (繁昌) in Anhui (安徽) may have produced them even earlier. The popularity of Qingbai was enormous as witnessed by the production in numerous kilns in Jiangxi with areas around Jindezhen, Nanfang and Jizhou being the key areas. Some other notable provinces which produced qingbai-type wares included Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong. There was also huge overseas demand with traces of such wares in Japan, Southeast Asia and all the way to West Asia and middle East region.

Northern Song Period

Professor Liu Xinyuan of Jingdezhen Museum of Ceramic History in an article written in the magazine wen wu in 1980 noted that among the deposits of sherds in Hutian kiln sites of early Northern Song, the glaze in most still showed yellowish tinge. Only from the middle Northern Song period onward that the colour became a jade like light bluish tinge. There are also greater variety of vessels including bowls, dishes, ewers/warmers, tea cups/stands, censers, pillows, cover boxes, chess boxes and all sorts of figurines. The earlier pieces have a high foot which became shorter by late Northern Song period. The decorative techniques include curving, incising, open work and appliques. The vessels from the earlier period were mainly either plain or decorated with simple decorations. The decorations became more elaborate during the late Northern Song period. The decorations included chrysanthemums, lotus, waves, infants among foliage, fish and etc. The vessels were placed upright on a disc within a saggar before firing. For a typical bowl, the lower portion is thick and the outer base usually showed a dark brown or black mark indicating that the vessel was supported on its base by a disc.

Vessels in Beijing palace Museum

Southern Song Period

The most distinctive feature of Southern Song qingbai was bowls/dishes produced with unglazed mouth-rim and low footring. The bowls were placed in inverted position on support-rings before firing. Impressed motifs predominated but there a also a smaller quantity with sketchily curved/incised motifs. The impressed motifs are elaborate including subject such as infants among foliage, phoenix among foliage, peonies, chrysanthemums, fishes in lotus pond and etc. Generally the glaze quality has deteriorated and less transparent and lustrous as compared with those during the earlier period. There is also a tendency for the glaze to be more pale and has a slight gray yellowish tinge.

Yuan Period

The Yuan period especially from mid Yuan onward is characterised by vessels which are more thickly potted and the light bluish glaze become more opaque. The colour tone subsequently became more milky white or egg white in tone and are generally referred to as shufu wares. (For more on shufu wares, please click here.) The curved/incised motif is more sketchy and deep cut. In comparison, those impressed motifs were still elaborate and densely decorated on the vessels. The vessels were now predominantly fired mainly in upright position with the foot resting on a disc during firing. It is not unusual to find fine grits sticking on the outer edge of the foot.