1, production purpose
Usually, the production of official kilns has two main purposes: daily porcelain and sacrificial porcelain.
Compared with the official kilns, the folk kilns are mainly practical porcelain for daily use, but the production quality is relatively backward and the shape is not very particular. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the production of export porcelain in folk kilns grew unprecedentedly, and it developed to foreign-designed patterns, which were then fired by local kilns according to drawings. Now it seems that this should be the biggest highlight of the development of folk kilns in Ming and Qing Dynasties beyond official kilns.
2. Style design
The pattern design of official kiln porcelain in Ming and Qing dynasties mainly includes modeling and ornamentation, both of which were designed by the imperial court. "Neifu" is the department responsible for supervising the manufacture of instruments in the palace, also known as "Neifu". Due to the rulers' participation and questioning of the official kiln porcelain style, the production style of official kiln porcelain in various periods is also closely related to the rulers' aesthetics. At the same time, the designers are mostly famous artists of the Academy of Painting, which makes the patterns and decorations "all paintings left in the temple by the people of the Academy of Painting at that time". Therefore, the design quality of the official kiln is very high. Folk kilns are relatively simple in style design. As long as the public likes it and the merchants are satisfied, there will be a bright future. In addition, due to the small number of people involved, the style can be flexibly used according to the actual situation and can be changed and adjusted at any time. Therefore, compared with official kilns, folk kilns are more casual and less formal in style design.
3. Production site
Lan Pu recorded in Jingdezhen Pottery: "In the second year of Hongwu, a factory was set up at the foot of Zhenzhu Mountain to make pottery for the roof, which was called the official kiln to distinguish it from the folk kiln. There are 26 kinds of kilns, namely Dalonggang Kiln, Green Kiln, Colored Kiln, Air Kiln, Box Kiln and Large and Small Horizontal Kiln. " In the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu, the pottery factory was changed to a royal factory.
In Qing Dynasty, Kang Yong Gan made official kilns in Jingdezhen Imperial Factory, and also made enamel in Qing Palace with white porcelain tires fired by imperial factory, which was the best in official kilns. Due to the short production time and limited number of products, it can only be regarded as a special case in the history of official kiln porcelain making.
The firing location of folk kiln is very complicated. Ming and Qing dynasties have a vast territory, with great rivers north and south, the Yellow River up and down, and the people adjust measures to local conditions. Among them, Jingdezhen Kiln, Longquan Kiln, Ding Yao Kiln, Houyao Kiln, Dehua Kiln and Boshan Kiln are relatively successful folk kilns, and the author can't discuss them in depth. Relatively speaking, the production of official kilns in Ming and Qing dynasties is much simpler, and it is only a branch of Jingdezhen kiln system, and the level involved is not complicated.
4. Selection of raw materials
The raw materials for porcelain making are mainly tire soil, glaze and pigment. The ruling class holds the state power, and in order to show its supreme position and superiority, it often uses its power to restrict the free production and development of folk kiln porcelain.
1. Tire soil
Historical data prove that the "imperial land" monopolized by the rulers appeared in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it was also called "official land" and "Macang official land". Because the ruling class monopolizes and enjoys this high-quality ceramic raw material, the quality of the porcelain tires of the official kiln is outstanding, far superior to the products of Jingdezhen folk kiln at the same time.
2. Glazes and pigments
The surface of official porcelain is generally coated with a thin layer of glaze, which is made of timely, feldspar, borax and clay. The porcelain maker diluted it with water, coated it on the surface of the porcelain tire and fired it to form a layer of glass glaze. Glaze usually has the function of protecting, decorating and beautifying porcelain. Because glaze usually contains various trace elements, they will produce different glaze colors under different conditions. Therefore, porcelain makers often use this feature to adjust the elements in the glaze and change the glaze color, resulting in glaze colors such as copper red, cobalt blue, iron black and gold red.
When making colored porcelain, you need to use a lot of colored materials. Some colors are mixed in the glaze, while others are used alone. In the early days, because the production of colored porcelain has not been popularized, it appears advanced in technology and high in cost. Only Imperial Factory has the relevant technology and financial resources to develop and apply it. More often, the rulers banned private kilns from burning colored glasses.
Violators will be severely punished. Therefore, only for the application of pigments, folk kilns lose the right to use, let alone compete with official kilns, and the color diversity of porcelain naturally cannot keep up with the pace of official kilns.
5. Production process
For the supreme ruler of the country, whether it is the daily-use porcelain used in the palace, or the ornamental products given to ministers and foreign envoys, or the porcelain used for sacrifice and overseas trade, it is related to the honor of the country and the dignity of the imperial power. To this end, the rulers have to be harsh and strive for perfection at all costs. These factors prompted Jingdezhen Imperial Factory to gather talents from all over the world. Therefore, skilled porcelain craftsmen, with the best raw materials of the dynasty and the most rigorous production attitude, were bound to produce the highest level porcelain at that time under the majestic imperial power. For these reasons, in the history of porcelain production in China, the official kiln porcelain has always been regarded as the highest peak of porcelain production in this period. Not only is the quality superior to that of folk kilns, but also the decorative patterns and shapes are enough to guide the development direction of China porcelain production.
6. Selection and elimination
Usually, the Ministry of Industry (signed by central officials in China feudal society) is the competent department of construction projects. A certain number of shooting tasks will be arranged for Imperial Factory every year, and Imperial Factory will make plans according to the actual situation. In order to ensure the smooth completion of the task, the actual firing quantity of the imperial ware factory is greater than the production task, and then the porcelain is selected and eliminated. In order to prevent redundant utensils from flowing into the people, they are broken, eliminated and buried. In porcelain making, it is difficult to fire many utensils. Take the production of dragon tanks in Ming and Qing Dynasties as an example. It takes 19 days to fire only, and then it is selected by pottery officials. Finally, "there are not five people who can solve the problem." Therefore, there is still a story in Jingdezhen that the dragon jar was difficult to build in Wanli years, and the boy could not bear the suffering of his companions, paid his bones and gave up his life to become a tool. Later, the bronze gongs were honored as Vulcan gongs by Jingdezhen porcelain makers and commemorated by the Vulcan Temple.
After the local excavation of Jingdezhen Zhushan Imperial Ware Factory, archaeologists repaired thousands of official kiln products that were eliminated at that time, which can reflect the rigorous selection of materials for the Imperial Ware Factory at that time. On the contrary, no matter which dynasty, no furniture kiln can withstand such a harsh and cruel elimination system. Only the king of a country can rely on the national financial resources, regardless of cost and profit, ensure the overall quality and eliminate defective and redundant products.
7. Regulations
Whether it is the control of the imperial soil by the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty mentioned above or the restriction of the orthodox emperors of the Ming Dynasty on the burning of colored porcelain in folk kilns, they are all rules of the game drawn up by the rulers in order to protect their own interests and restrict the people, and there is no justice at all. In feudal society, imperial power was supreme. In order to maintain the dignity of the emperor, laws and regulations have become the shackles that bind the manufacturers of folk kilns and hinder their normal production and development.
I hope it will help you, and I hope it will be adopted. Thank you.