Clark porcelain is very important to foreigners. After all, those who can use this kind of porcelain are usually either the royal family or the nobility, and the last three are the rich.
Therefore, every development period has its representative works.
In the seventh period, that is, from 1625 to 1640, the rhombus-shaped decoration of Karak porcelain was eliminated, and patterns similar to tulip decoration appeared.
This kind of tulip flower has never appeared in previous periods.
Just like the broken porcelain pieces salvaged this time, there are porcelain from Jingzhen and Hu Jian's style.
The exact location of the exported Clark porcelain has always attracted much attention, but it has never been discovered.
It was not until the 1990s that news spread like wildfire that delighted the ceramic industry at home and abroad.
During the investigation and excavation of the ancient kiln sites of Hu Jianping, Nansheng and Wuzhai during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, we found the kiln sites where the so-called "Clark Porcelain" and "Toushan Ware" were fired abroad, as well as the physical objects sold to Neon and other countries.
specimen.
Many eyes immediately turned to Pinghe, a mountainous county in southern Fujian that was usually unknown.
At that time, Shoichi Kasaki, the chairman of the Neon Oriental Ceramics Society and known as the "Father of Neon Ceramics," heard the news and led an academic group to come for an on-site inspection.
It was finally determined that neon, blue and white porcelain, plain three-color incense and so on were called Toushan ware, Wu Xushou, Wu Xuchie, Jiaozhi incense and so on for more than 400 years.
However, the place of origin is still unclear. The discovery of the Pinghe kiln site proves that Zhangshi kiln ceramics were produced in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and exported to East Asian countries.
Among this batch of broken porcelain pieces, the first box that Chen Wenzhe put together was the Jiaozhixianghe, which mainly exports neon.
You can tell by the name. In Neon at that time, this kind of box was called Jiaozhi Xianghe. The Neon people at that time thought it was imported from what is now South Vietnam.
There is an inevitability in chance, and the pursuit of vision will eventually land on peace.
In fact, there are many clues as to where these works came from.
And the famous kiln entrance certainly cannot be hidden.
For example, Volume 27 of "Zhangzhou Fu Zhi" published in the first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty states: "The victorious porcelain from the south is superior to other cities. It is incomparable to craftsmanship, but it can still be played with."
The "Pinghe County Chronicle" re-edited in the Qing Dynasty records: "Those who are good at porcelain come from Nansheng Guanliao".
It is confirmed from the above two records that the Nansheng area was famous for its porcelain in the early and middle Ming Dynasty.
From November 1994 to June 1998, Hu Jian Provincial Museum and Pinghe County Museum visited the Huazilou Kiln Site, Tiankeng Kiln Site, Dongkou Kiln Site, and Pigou Kiln Site in Wuzhai Township three times in Nansheng County, Pinghe County.
to conduct excavations.
The results were surprising. Among the porcelain fired at the Pinghe kiln entrance, blue and white porcelain was the main variety.
Its decorative themes, patterns, and craftsmanship are exactly the same as those of "Clark Porcelain".
In addition, the kiln mouth and specimens of the "Jiaozhixianghe" (i.e. plain tricolor), which is widely collected in neon but whose origin is unknown, were also discovered.
At this point, a mystery about the origin of exported porcelain that has long puzzled the ceramic archaeological community at home and abroad has finally been solved and the veil has been lifted.
Now, among the dazzling array of ancient ceramic specimens in the "Ancient Ceramics Exhibition Hall" of the Pinghe County Museum, the blue and white porcelain and "Jiaozhi Xianghe" (Susancai Xianghe) are the most eye-catching.
The blue and white porcelain has different decorative patterns, the big one is as big as a basin, while the "Jiaozhi Xianghe" is so small and exquisite that it can be admired in the palm of your hand.
It is said that this object is closely related to the neon tea ceremony and is generally used to hold condiments.
Because of their exquisite production and various shapes, they are also used as handicrafts and are collected by princes and nobles.
Therefore, this kind of fragrant combination can definitely be regarded as a fine product among the exported porcelain.
The word "Xianghe" comes from ancient books.
"History of the Song Dynasty·Book of Rites 14" contains: "In the palace of the prince, there is a silver lion and a fragrant combination."
Xianghe means incense box, which is a small container for storing spices, essential oils and aromas.
In Neon, it is still used as the word "香合".
Whether in the neon incense ceremony or the tea ceremony, incense is an indispensable ritual object.
This kind of porcelain is used as tea room furnishings together with incense burners and vases, and is placed under the hanging scroll in the tea room alcove.
Neon Xianghe originally originated from my country, but the kiln mouth where it came from has never been discovered before.
This can be very confusing, especially for elegant people.
These people, especially the ancients, often burned incense to delight themselves and create an ethereal and mysterious atmosphere while reciting poems, painting, playing the piano and sipping tea.
However, their descendants now don’t know where the things that their ancestors cultivated their sentiments came from? Is this possible?
In fact, everyone knows that it came from China, but where exactly it is, we still don’t know until the entrances of Hu Jian’s kilns were excavated.
However, this does not mean that Xianghe is rare in China.
Xianghe existed in my country during the Tang Dynasty, but most of them were gold and silver vessels.
Li He's "Chun Huai Yin" said, "The combination of tin and blue makes the dragon brain freeze."
"Tianhe" is a box inlaid with gold, silver, jade and shells.
During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, incense became an important ritual instrument.
"Song Huiyao" records that Wu and Yue paid tribute to Chu, including "a golden incense lion with a red gum bed, a golden incense combination, and a total of five hundred taels of golden incense balls."
However, during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the prosperity of the porcelain industry, porcelain incense was widely used.
Yang Zhishui said in the article "Shuo Xiang Box": "There are many types of porcelain compounds in the Song Dynasty, and they have different uses, such as powder combination, oil combination, flower combination, and medicinal combination. It is generally difficult to clearly distinguish them without special writing."
Generally speaking, porcelain incense is slightly larger than palm-sized powder and oil.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Xianghe had become an important standard for literati to rub and play with in their study rooms.
There are also detailed records in "Changwu Zhi" written by Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty.
"The fragrant combination is based on the Song Dynasty, and the color is like coral. In ancient times, there was a sword ring, two flowers and grass, and three figures. There are also five-color lacquer bodies. The carving method is deep and light, and the color is revealed with the makeup, such as red flowers and green leaves, yellow hearts and black stones.
The second most important one is... There are inner palaces for filling and lacquering, all of which can be used. The smaller ones include Ding kiln, Rao kiln sugar section, and string bells. The rest are not good."
Wen Zhenheng made an evaluation of the texture, color, decoration, shape, etc. of the incense stick. The incense stick was also transformed from a practical device into a work of art that can be appreciated and evaluated by literati.
Different from China, the origin of Neon Xianghe is related to the Neon spice trade.
Spices entered the spotlight with Buddhism. During the Nara period, although spices were used in Buddhist celebrations, their scope was limited to palaces and temples.
Neon does not produce spices domestically, so the spices imported through trade are considered luxury goods.
By the Heian period, spices were no longer limited to Buddhist rituals.
It gradually became the object of play among the nobles, and carefully crafted incense appeared.
The so-called Hexiang is a kind of refined incense. It is made by mashing agarwood, cloves, fennel, white sandalwood, musk and other spices, mixing a variety of spices with honey, and then fermenting it. This refining method comes from the Tang Dynasty.