In fact, to put it bluntly, the consecration process refers to the use of contour lines to divide areas of a certain shape in the surface decoration of ceramic objects.
Thematic decorations are painted inside the area, while pattern backgrounds are mostly painted outside the area.
The same ceramic object can have either one consecration form or multiple consecration forms.
Consecration decoration is widely used on various types of ceramics, including blue and white consecration, pastel consecration, color glaze consecration, ancient color consecration, underglaze consecration and so on.
Consecration decoration has a long history and has formed a unique development trajectory with distinctive formal characteristics and profound aesthetic connotations.
Consecration has appeared as early as thousands of years ago during the painted pottery period. It should be noted here that appearance does not mean maturity!
In the Neolithic Age, the dance-patterned basins of the Majiayao culture first took shape.
Art comes from life, and life is the source of artistic creation.
The consecration decoration of the neolithic painted pottery sprouts reflects the production and labor scenes of the ancestors, as well as their grasp and understanding of art.
In the long historical process from the Neolithic Age to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, ceramic consecration decoration has experienced a process of continuous development, change, and rich self-improvement.
The earliest consecrated porcelain was found in the Cizhou Kiln and Jizhou Kiln of the Song Dynasty.
These were two famous kilns at that time, with large scale and large production quantities.
At that time, there was a lot of porcelain making process, which was to draw borders on certain parts of the porcelain, and draw landscapes, figures, flowers, etc. in the borders.
For example, the underglaze painting technique pioneered by Jizhou Kiln later had a direct impact on Yuan blue and white.
They decorated the outside of the frame with brocade patterns all over the ground, which was called "Jin Di Consecration". In the Ming Dynasty, it was called "Jin Di Box Heart".
This technique was seen in underglaze painting at Jizhou Kiln in the Song Dynasty, blue and white porcelain decoration in the Yuan Dynasty and Kangxi multicolored porcelain in the Qing Dynasty.
Through consecration, they combine different painting situations into one, creating a sense of story and chapter, making the paintings full of fluidity and interest.
In this way, there were too many famous kilns in the Song Dynasty. Almost every famous kiln had one or more superb skills.
There must be a reason why so many famous kilns appeared in the Song Dynasty.
For example, the five famous kilns, plus Yaozhou kiln, Cizhou kiln, Jizhou kiln and so many other famous kilns, are definitely famous kilns that have been passed down through the ages.
During the Song Dynasty, the porcelain industry was at its peak, and ceramic consecration decoration also developed during this period. There is no problem at all.
It was also during the Song Dynasty that more consecration styles appeared, and during the Ming and Qing Dynasties they became even more diverse.
After the 1980s, the traditional ceramic decorative art in Jingzhen revived, bringing the art of consecration into another glorious period.
Nowadays, many modern ceramic creations use ceramic consecration decoration, and different consecration styles have appeared.
The porcelain with the consecration technique that we are familiar with must be the gold-painted porcelain, enamel porcelain, or pastel porcelain of the Ming Dynasty.
For example, the revolving bottle that Chen Wenzhe purchased from Wu Er had a consecration process used on it.
However, the earliest porcelain craftsmanship can only be traced back to the Song Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty was the heyday of Chinese civilization, which was reflected in many aspects of military, culture, and technology.
Modern people say that the Song Dynasty was weak. In fact, those who really understand history will know that the so-called weak Song Dynasty was not weak at all.
Without further ado, let’s continue back to the Song Dynasty porcelain pillow.
In addition to white glaze and black color, Cizhou kiln also has white glaze and black flower.
The porcelain pillow made with this process is called white glaze and black flower porcelain pillow.
This porcelain pillow is 22.2 cm long and 1
8.5 cm, height 11.5 cm.
The pillow body is waist-round, with the front of the pillow lower than the back and the edge of the pillow higher. The middle is slightly concave, and the concave is painted with a black peony pattern of broken branches.
There are curved edges engraved around it. The whole body is covered with white glaze, and the bottom is exposed.
The painter drew on traditional Chinese ink painting techniques and combined them with ceramic manufacturing techniques to make the floral patterns smooth and natural.
This pillow is a product of the Cizhou kiln series, which fully embodies the artist's artistic conception of "using a carefree brush to express the breath in the chest".
These porcelain pillows with white glaze and black color and white glaze and black flowers are all considered fine products.
In addition to these black and white glazed porcelain, Cizhou kiln also produces some pure white glazed porcelain pillows, and uses scratching, deflowering and other techniques.
For example, the white glaze carved peony petal porcelain pillow is 29.5 cm long, 28.5 cm wide and 17.8 cm high.
The whole shape is petal-shaped, with the edges raised high.
The pillow surface is concave, and a large peony pattern is finely carved in the middle of the pillow surface, surrounded by peony leaves.
The grate pattern serves as the base, and there is a high platform pillow underneath.
The whole body is covered with white glaze, and the bottom and front of the pillow are exposed.
This pillow has a unique shape and exquisite patterns. It is the top grade among porcelain pillows.
This is a fine porcelain pillow with scratched patterns, and a white glaze patterned pillow.
This kind of porcelain pillow is 14.6 cm high, 24.7 cm wide and 30.2 cm long.
It is round in shape, low in front and high in back. This white glazed floral pillow handed down from ancient times has many defects on its edges.
The middle of the pillow surface is slightly concave, with white glaze engraved with peony flowers, and the four walls are unglazed to expose the body.
To sum up, porcelain pillows have been very popular as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Initially they were only used for burials. In the Tang Dynasty, they were mostly used for medical pulse pillows, which were light in shape and small in shape.
After the Song Dynasty, mass production began and the shape became larger.
People gradually realized that porcelain pillows have the physical properties of cooling and removing heat, so they began to regard it as an ideal summer bedding that can repel fire, improve eyesight, and prolong life.
The literati at that time also used them as gifts to each other to relieve the heat.
There is a sentence in Li Qingzhao's "Huanxisha": "The jade furnace sinks into the water and the remaining smoke curls up, and the dream returns to the mountain and the pillow hides the flowers."
It can be seen that porcelain pillows are deeply loved by people. At the same time, they have been endowed with rich cultural connotations and have become an important member of the ceramic family.
When we look at these porcelain pillows thousands of years later, we can seem to feel that the potters in the Tang and Song Dynasties smiled with the joy of labor.
The ancients transformed their yearning and blessings for a better life into images of beauty, which were forever engraved on porcelain pillows that looked like jade bones and flesh.
Chen Wenzhe could only look at pictures of this kind of rare porcelain in the museum's collection, so now he has made a few copies of all the items he knows exist.
Even if he is confident, he is still afraid of accidents in one firing, so it is normal to make two or three pieces of each variety.
After that, it is fired in the kiln. Of course, it must be glazed before being put into the kiln.
Let’s talk about another special thing about price comparison. The firing of Ding kiln children’s pillows is quite magical.
Because the glaze color of this kind of porcelain is not dyed, but fired.
Different firing temperatures will produce different color effects.
The green glaze of Ding kiln includes high-temperature green glaze and low-temperature green glaze. The temperature of low-temperature green glaze is generally around 1100 degrees.
Ding Kiln’s Jiang Ding is also called Zi Ding and Hong Ding, both of which are kiln discolorations caused by the black glaze of Ding Kiln.
Its origin is complex. Under normal circumstances, when the firing temperature is around 1280 degrees, the black glaze is like dot paint, calm and steady, with a thick luster. If you look closely, the glaze will look like orange peel;