Characteristics and production technology
1. Glaze color
The uniqueness of Ru kiln lies in its glaze color, which is mainly composed of azure, including sky blue, pink blue, moonlight white and other colors, and it has the reputation of "after rain, azure clouds break, so this color is the future".
The glaze color of Rumin kiln is rich and colorful, and there is obvious regionality among different glaze colors, that is, Ru Ci with the same glaze color is mainly produced in a certain area.
2. Shapes of vessels
According to the analysis of Ruguan kiln porcelain pieces unearthed from Ruyao site of Qingliang Temple in Baofeng, the shapes of vessels mainly include bowls, plates, bowls, bottles, washing lamps, narcissus pots, statues and lids. It is made by hand-drawing, and the technique is skilled.
Bowls and plates are utensils for daily life, so they are simple and elegant in shape, and only decorated with ten-petal melon prisms or lotus mouths, which are beautiful and practical. The bowl is shaped into a convergent mouth, with concave or short circular feet under it, which is small, elegant and interesting.
Bottle and washing have diverse shapes and smooth lines. The tea cup holder is exquisite in shape and rich in decoration. The narcissus basin is divided into two types: oval and begonia, which are exquisitely designed and show the royal aesthetic interest.
Rumin Kiln mainly produces porcelain for folk life, with various shapes and various decorative techniques. Each kiln mouth has its own advantages in decorative methods and decorative patterns.
3. Opening
Most of the Ru Guan Kiln porcelain handed down from generation to generation have stripes on the surface, and those without stripes are rare. The opening of the glaze surface of Ru porcelain is a cracked piece due to the different expansion coefficients of tire and glaze during firing, which was originally a defect, but it became an artistic effect in the eyes of literati, and the nobles of the palace also advocated it.
as for the opening of the film, the literature records that "those with crab claw patterns are true, and those without patterns are especially good". At present, there is only one piece of Ru kiln handed down from ancient times without patterns, that is, the celadon non-patterned narcissus basin collected in the National Palace Museum.
Because the Ru kiln uses agate as glaze, it is a fish-scale pattern, whether it is ice-shaped pattern, shallow pattern or short white pattern, and there is no large pattern with long lines, which is the difference between Ru kiln and other porcelain glaze patterns.
4. Zhi Ding
Ru Guan Kiln has exquisite glaze technique, and uses foot-binding and burning. The Zhi Ding is very small, so it is called "sesame Zhi Ding", which makes the surface and bottom of the kiln full of glaze. In addition, there are also a few people who use the cake-pad burning method, in which both the surface and the bottom of the device are glazed, while the sole of the ring is bare and unglazed.
The number of Zhi Ding depends on the size of the vessel, ranging from five to three. However, six nails are used for oval washing, begonia washing and narcissus basin, and four Zhi Ding ones are extremely rare.
Rumin Kiln is mainly fired with pad cakes, and a few are fired with full glaze in Zhi Ding. In contrast, the Zhi Ding of Rumin kiln is slightly larger, such as green watercress.
Extended information:
Process raw materials
The glaze characteristics and firing process of Ruguan kiln are obviously different from other celadons of the same period. The tire material contains high silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3), and the tire soil is refined, the soil quality is fine, and the tire bones are hard and light gray. There are bubbles with different shapes and sizes in the tire body, which is a natural phenomenon of hand-drawing.
the glaze layer is thick and moist, just like fat accumulation, and the fetal glaze is closely combined, so the glaze application is exquisite. The local area in Ruzhou is rich in agate stone, and the Ruguan kiln uses agate as glaze, which is pure in color and more bright and moist. If observed in the sun, you will find faint erythema scattered in the glaze, which is a very different feature from other porcelains.
Documentary records and development course
The establishment of the Song Dynasty ended the chaotic situation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries and brought about a stable social order. Agricultural productivity recovered and the handicraft industry began to flourish, especially the ceramic industry, which reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. In this context, the ceramic industry is fiercely competitive, and various famous kilns are active on the stage one after another. In order to meet the needs of the royal family, the Northern Song Dynasty Palace selected five famous kilns with exquisite skills, namely Ru, Jun, Guan, Ge and Ding, which are controlled by the central government and strictly supervised by duty officers, and cannot be used by the people.
Among them, Ruyao is famous for its origin in Henan (hence its name Ruzhou), and Ruguan Kiln, the first of the five famous kilns, was unearthed in Qingliangsi Village, Baofeng County, Henan Province. The time before and after the firing of tribute porcelain in Ruguan Kiln was about twenty years, from the first year of Yuanyou in Song Zhezong to the fifth year of Chongning in Huizong (186~116).
Ye Jian's Tan Zhai Bi Heng in the Southern Song Dynasty recorded: "The white porcelain in Dingzhou was hard to use, so it was ordered to make green kiln ware in Ruzhou, so Hebei, Tang, Deng and Yaozhou knew about it, and Ruyao was the best." Ru kiln is specially designed to burn imperial porcelain for the court, and it is forbidden for the people to burn it. There are less than 61 pieces of Ru kiln porcelain handed down from generation to generation, which shows its preciousness. Except Qingliang Temple in Baofeng County, which is an official kiln, all the kiln mouths are used for firing folk daily-use porcelain.