The history of imitating Yuan blue and white in China is not short, and now there is a complete industrial chain.
Therefore, with the experience of his predecessors, Chen Wenzhe is very convenient in everything he does.
In other words, Chen Wenzhe is not too worried about finding it, whether it is Ma Cangtu or Suma Liqing.
Although you can't buy suitable raw materials directly, you can still buy usable ones.
After that, it all depends on how he handles it. As long as the method is smart and authentic, it is not a dream to re-burn the real Yuan blue and white.
Even if it cannot be refired in a short time, he can still find some domestic masters of antique porcelain craftsmanship and learn their craftsmanship.
Then there will be no problem at all in making antique Yuan blue and white.
It is not a problem to even imitate some fine Yuan blue and white flowers.
Because before him, there were many masters in Jingzhen who had actually re-fired some exquisite Yuan blue and white porcelain.
This is the power of some domestic antique masters. It is because they know everything about it that Chen Wenzhe spent a lot of time learning the firing process of Yuan blue and white.
Since limiting the raw materials of Yuan blue and white flowers will not be a problem, then he only needs to learn the craftsmanship of making Yuan blue and white flowers.
Let’s sort through the entire production process of Qingqing blue and white. In fact, the most important ones are Suma Liqing and Ma Cangtu.
According to previous experience, it should not be difficult to obtain Suma Liqing and Ma Cangtu.
The same is true for Macang soil. He needs to process some kaolin from the ancient mine in Jingzhen, and he will probably get the Macang soil he wants in the end.
Because someone has done it before, this is not his delusion.
Then there is the process, whether it is drawing or patterning, this is actually the simplest.
I won’t talk about embryo making, but will talk about the imitation of patterns and vessel shapes.
In terms of imitating Yuan blue and white flowers, it is relatively easy to imitate patterns and shapes.
In the modern antique market, many shop owners often spend hundreds or thousands of yuan to buy an unearthed, damaged piece of porcelain in order to imitate the decoration on it.
In addition to directly copying the painting, they will also use a fine brush dipped in ink to outline the outline on the original, then print the outline on transparent white paper, and then paste the paper on the new porcelain body to imitate. This often produces a better imitation.
In place.
The most advanced ones even use computer three-dimensional scanning to scan the patterns, which are almost exactly the same.
The same goes for the shape of the vessel. The biggest difference between today's ancient porcelain imitators compared with the artists of the past is that they use various museum catalogs and books.
They are more skillful and can imitate the decorations and shapes based on the pictures and data above. Those with high level can even achieve lifelike imitations.
By the way, I would also like to remind ceramic collectors that in the process of learning the knowledge of porcelain appraisal, they must not memorize the decorative characteristics and shape characteristics of the ceramics.
If you want to truly achieve something, you must practice more and learn more in the market to avoid losses caused by following the pictures.
With complete Yuan blue and white production techniques, Chen Wenzhe naturally wouldn't have such trouble, he only needed to paint it himself.
For him, the most difficult thing is to imitate the clay and glaze colors.
For those who use new raw materials to imitate ancient porcelain, imitation of clay and glaze color is the most difficult.
Just like imitating a calligraphy work, you can imitate the glyphs, but it is difficult to imitate the style.
The imitation of fetal soil depends on the formula of raw materials.
Before the Southern Song Dynasty, the body soil of Jingzhen porcelain always used a single porcelain stone as the raw material.
When the energy in the upper porcelain stone was exhausted, in the late Southern Song Dynasty, Jingzhen porcelain workers discovered Macang soil in Macang Village, Yaoli Township, Fuliang.
Later, soil with the same properties as Macang soil was discovered in Kaoling Village, named kaolin. This was a major turning point in the porcelain making process.
The "binary formula" tire making method has made Jingzhen porcelain famous throughout the country since the Yuan Dynasty.
Today, many ceramic workshops in Jingzhen directly purchase raw materials from clay factories in other places in order to save costs.
There are also many such clay factories in Nanshan, Jingzhen. The authenticity of porcelain bodies made from these raw materials can be easily identified.
What is more difficult to identify is porcelain made strictly according to the formula of porcelain stone and kaolin.
However, it is impossible to achieve exactly the same result, especially the porcelain bodies of the early and mid-Ming Dynasty.
Since the Macang soil has disappeared (disappeared in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, which is said to be the reason why the large dragon vats frequently failed to be fired in the late Ming Dynasty), it is impossible to copy it today.
The imitation of glaze color depends on the origin and formula of the glaze, whether it is blue and white cobalt material, or underglaze red copper material, etc.
There are also differences in the production areas and recipes in different periods.
Take the cobalt material of blue and white porcelain as an example, from Suma Liqing in the Yuan Dynasty to Shizi Qing in the early Ming Dynasty, to Pingping Qing in Chenghua, Hui Qing in Jiajing Wanli, Zhuming Qing in Tianqi Chongzhen, and finally to Pingping Qing in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
Ocean blue, etc., all have different color effects depending on the place of origin.
With the disappearance of many raw materials, it is difficult for ordinary craftsmen today to imitate the effects of the original products of that era.
Of course, the thickness ratio of glaze water and the method of glazing also affect the final color effect.
As for the imitation of weight, it is more difficult. After all, for most imitators, they do not have the opportunity to come into contact with the real thing, so it is not easy to imitate at all.
Among the factors for identifying today's porcelain, it is crucial to master the characteristics of the soil and glaze color.
It is recommended that collectors buy some porcelain specimens to learn from when they first get started.
The correct way is to wait until you have thought it through before buying the complete device.
In fact, when studying the process of imitating Yuan blue and white, Chen Wenzhe's best way is to use old raw materials combined with new techniques to imitate.
Although there are not too many porcelains handed down from the Yuan Dynasty, they are not small either.
Especially some exported porcelain, such as porcelain from the sea, there are many porcelains that went to sea in the Yuan Dynasty and sank at the bottom of the sea, and have been passed down to the present.
These porcelains are generally severely corroded, but the porcelain body can still be used.
Old tires are repainted, old enamels are repainted, old parts are refurbished, and refired, these are relatively top-notch imitation techniques.
In addition, the most unique advantage of Jingzhen’s imitation of ancient porcelain lies in its rich underground resources.
There is not only kaolin here, but also porcelain remains from past dynasties, whether complete or not, there are countless.
At local antique markets and flea markets, you will see a scene that will leave you speechless.
There are many porcelains unearthed here, especially a large number of porcelain specimens, which are precious teaching materials for beginners.
Someone once picked up porcelain pieces at a construction site of a stilted building that was about to disappear by the Changjiang River. In less than two hours, he harvested more than ten pieces of blue and white porcelain from folk kilns of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This can be seen from this.
Today's Jingzhen artists have also made full use of this advantage and put a lot of effort into imitating ancient porcelain.
For example, if you don't want to break the old tire and make a new piece of porcelain, you can choose to repaint the old tire.
It is more common to use white bodies from the middle and late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and paint them with pastels and other overglaze colors to double their value.
At this time, your identification cannot be based solely on the quality of the fetus.