Chapter 1,139: Flashy but not flashy, expensive but not showy
At present, the common glaze colors for building lamps on the market are still mainly three categories: the classic "rabbit hair", "oil drop", and "Yobian".
The representative glaze colors of these architectural lamps are still the most eye-catching. This is probably what is said about classics that never go out of style.
Rabbit is not as rare and special as obsidian and oil droplets, but it can become the iconic texture of Jianzhan. Naturally, it makes sense.
Among them, the exquisite rabbit hair lamp,
It can also be said that it is something that can be encountered but cannot be sought.
Meeting a good rabbit requires fate, and appreciating a jianzhan requires a comprehensive view based on the characteristics of all aspects.
I don't judge whether something is good or not based on its quantity, but rather its quality, appearance, etc.
As we all know, the glaze color of a jianzhan is an important criterion for measuring its value.
Whether it is a simple yet charming glaze color or a layered pattern, they all reflect its artistic value.
Although there is no unified price measurement standard in the industry at present, the three glaze colors of "rabbit hair", "oil drop" and "Yobian",
It is recognized as having high artistic value.
Moreover, compared with new glaze colors, the appreciation space and collection advantages of these classic lamps are more prominent.
If it looks good and conforms to the aesthetics of most people, it is a good thing.
The difficulty of firing a rabbit hair lamp is very high.
And this is a relatively common and easy-to-fire variety among fine jianzhan products.
Of course, since it is difficult, the price of high-quality rabbit hair cannot be lowered.
This kind of thing is still very valuable if it is reburned.
According to the different expressions of color, rabbit hair glaze is divided into "silver rabbit hair", "gold rabbit hair", "blue rabbit hair", etc.
Among them, the "silver rabbit hair" is the most precious and the most difficult to bake.
Regarding the description of the rabbit hair lamp, many literati in the Song Dynasty wrote poems, lyrics, and songs.
Such as the great poet Yang Wanli's "Eagle Claw New Tea Crab Eye Soup, Pine Wind Mings Snow Rabbit Hair Frost."
Su Shi's "Don't be alarmed by the spots on the rabbit's fur at noon, and make the wine with goose wine";
The rabbit-haired lamp was the most popular variety in the Song Dynasty, and it is also the most glaze-colored variety among the Song Dynasty built lamps handed down from generation to generation.
In many large auctions,
Rabbit hair lamps are also often sold at high prices, and they are obviously on the rise. The prices of these high-quality lamps are even doubling every year.
Of course, "oil drop" is one of the precious glaze colors used in Jianzhan lamps in the Song Dynasty. The glaze spots look like boiling oil droplets, hence the name.
Many lamp enthusiasts know that Jianzhan began in 2016 when a Southern Song Dynasty Jian Kiln oil dripping lamp was auctioned for 78 million yuan at Christie's in New York.
This oil-dropping lamp set a record for the highest price ever paid for a jianzhan in the Song Dynasty at public auction, which shows that its value should not be underestimated.
The current market transaction of Song Dynasty oil dripping lamps can be said to be priceless but not marketable.
Since the varieties of oil drop lamps handed down from the Song Dynasty are relatively rare, and complete vessels are even rarer, this is also because the conditions for burning oil drop lamps are more stringent than those for burning rabbit hair.
If the kiln temperature is too low during firing, it will be difficult for the markings to form round dots;
If the kiln temperature is too high, the spots will easily flow into strips. Therefore, in general, oil drop lamps with excellent quality are even rarer and more popular than rabbit hair lamps.
Let’s talk about obsidian change. This phenomenon is that when a black porcelain object is exposed to light, the film on the surface of the object will change.
The colors of yellow, blue, green, purple and so on are glowing, a colorful light that blends together.
Black porcelain has greater limitations in producing obsidian.
In addition to the conditions that cause kiln transformation, the bright black glaze with strong glass texture is an important factor.
This is because this glaze can form an extremely thin iron crystal film under special conditions during the firing process.
Without this layer of film, the rainbow-like color would not appear when exposed to light.
Yaobian is the most precious type of jianzhan glaze, because the three known and recognized complete vessels that have survived are the three that were hidden in the little devil's place.
The Yaobian lamp is so precious and rare mainly because its firing is extremely accidental.
The secret of the firing of the handed down obsidian lamp cannot be solved to this day. Its originality in ceramic craftsmanship and aesthetics and its extremely rare existence make it a truly priceless treasure.
Even modern imitation-fired obsidian lamps are very popular in the market, and they can be said to be a popular glaze color for jianzhan lamps.
From the market performance of Jian Zhan in the past ten years, it can be seen that the auction activity of Jian Zhan is getting higher and higher, and the premium rate of Jian Zhan is over 100%. Many collectors at home and abroad are very interested in Jian Zhan.
The glaze colors of "Rabbit Hair", "Oil Drops" and "Yobian" are all inherited from ancient times. They are flashy but not dazzling, expensive but not conspicuous. Whether it is investment or collection, their prospects are quite optimistic and they are worth buying.
The firing of Tuhao Jianzhan is relatively simple, and is not much more difficult than the firing process of ordinary Jianzhan.
In the early stage of cup making, it is necessary to provide the body raw materials and glaze slurry. The aged body raw materials are then smelted, drawn into shape, and trimmed to obtain a green body;
The green body is put into the electric kiln and fired, which takes 2.8-3.1 hours.
The kiln temperature rises from normal temperature to 290-310℃.
At this stage, the furnace door is open, which facilitates the moisture in the green body to be discharged in the form of steam;
Then close the oven door and wait for another 2.8-3.1 hours.
Wait for the kiln temperature to rise from 290-310℃ to 595-605℃, then stop the furnace.
Take it out after natural cooling to obtain the blank;
For glazing, pour the glaze into the base of the cup, leave it there for 5-7 seconds, then turn the base back over and soak it in the glaze for 5-7 seconds. Leave the bottom of the cup without glaze and let it dry;
After glazing, the green body is placed in a sagger and placed in the kiln chamber of the inverted flame kiln for baking.
The whole process is not much different from the firing of ordinary pottery. The main thing is to control the temperature of the porcelain inside the kiln when it is fired.
For example, there are many details in the firing of silver rabbit hair.
Also, do brown markings burn better than silver markings? The answer is yes.
Because the substance that makes up brown spots is mainly ferric iron.
In the early stage of firing, a reducing atmosphere is needed to control the pattern shape.
In the later stage, it can be switched to an oxidizing atmosphere to control the color of the markings.
The oxidizing atmosphere is much easier to control than the reducing atmosphere.
Therefore, the control of the shape and color of brown markings is relatively stable.
In the early stage of silver pattern firing, a reducing atmosphere is needed to reduce the ferric iron to divalent iron, and the reduction needs to continue in the later stage.
A problem arises here. If the reduction is not enough and the ferric iron is too high, the markings will appear gray, and the surface of the markings will also feel dirty.
If it is restored and the ferrous iron is too high, the markings will become lighter or even disappear.
Therefore, this degree is very difficult to control, making the firing of silver patterns very unstable.
And as long as you know this degree, whether the firing is successful or not, with modern technology, equipment, and Chen Wenzhe's kiln firing technology, you don't have to rely entirely on God's will.
This is the fundamental technique for firing silver rabbit hair. To sum up, it is the control of temperature and heat.
As long as Chen Wenzhe pays attention and grasps these key points, the fired silver rabbit hair will no longer be the one-ten-thousandth degree.
Even if he fails once or twice, as long as he follows the rules, he will always be able to fire one or two kilns.