Shiwan Ceramic Glaze Colors

Gathering of the Earthly Gods, He Chiyuan

In general Shiwan ceramic glaze colors can be divided into red, yellow, blue, green, white, black and reddish brown. 

There are numerous tones of Shiwan ceramic red glazes, including bright red, deep red, pomegranate red, sour carambola red, and iron rust red.
The muddy and thick iron green Shiwan ceramic glaze always forms floral designs on the surface, commonly known as iron rust motif.
Yellow Shiwan ceramic glaze consists of brownish yellow, grapefruit yellow, lemon yellow, eel skin yellow and turtle yellow.
Green Shiwan ceramic glaze comprises cucumber green, mother of pearl green, emerald green and peacock green.
Blue Shiwan ceramic glaze contains blue, light blue, diamond blue and the blue jun glaze.
White Shiwan ceramic glaze has a variety of onion white, ivory white, moon white ( clair-de-lune ), powder white and white slip.
Brown Shiwan ceramic glaze is also known as vinegar jar glaze, a transformation of black glaze.
Black Shiwan ceramic glaze is commonly referred to the black bronze glaze, while the crystallized and slightly powdered greenish-yellow tone examples are called temmoku and tea dust glaze.

Shiwan ceramic glaze colors are characterized by their brilliant "down to catch muddy" yet thick tints in great varieties. The Shiwan ceramic kiln excels in imitating glaze colors of famous kilns to form its unique style innovations. The crackle glaze in different colors is in imitation of Ge kiln.

There are large and small ice crackles known as "meshing crackles" and "fish ice crackles". The brilliant flambe glaze after Jun kiln has a colloquial name of Hua Jun (blossom Jun) and mainly belongs to the category of blue glaze. Red glaze is also one special feature of Shiwan Jun glaze, characterized by its elegant and lustrous tints with diversified motives. Among them, the gems are featured by cricket and cockroach wing motives and the most common colors are bright red or aubergine.

Furnace transmutation refers to the chemical change of glaze colors during high firing process, resulting in the melting and fusing of coloring agents which inclue iron and copper, and transmuting into fantastic and metaphysical colors of artistic effect. Some of the transmutation glazes are natural and changeable just like the four seasons, some are gigantic and resembles the mountains and rivers as well as wind and snow, some are emerald like echoing stirring green waves, while some are as charming as precious flowers. Those superior graded vessels with unique furnace transmutation glaze are crowned as "kiln treasures".

The brilliant Shiwan ceramic glaze colors are the outcome of a selective us of material and firing processes. The Shiwan potters fused one specified glaze color with different kinds of organic and inorganic materials. In the past this was a confidential procedure and some glaze compositions are kept secret just like the prescriptions of medicine. Shiwan ceramic glaze colors are thus also known as glaze prescriptions, with detailed production processes such as dipping, blanching and washing, as well as undergoing calcification grinding and even rustiness to decompose and create oxidized material. The selection of material to prepare glaze prescriptions must be particularly and meticulously treated. For instance the location of digging the Longjiang stone and star cinnabar for preparing red glazes must be carefully selected. The copper used for glaze must be caked by the thinnest and rigid "gold flowere leaf". The "mirror disc" must also select good material containing mercury and tin, while in preparing crackled glaze, some pure glass and jade or rock surface powder should be chosen to inhance a graceful and natural color.

Shiwan glaze colors can be classified into high fired, middle fired and low fired categories.

Those high fired glazes are fired in temperature of 1200 degrees centigrade.
Middle fired ones in around 1000 degrees centigrade.
Low fired at approximately 800 degrees centigrade.
Flambe glazes are produced in temperature above 1200 degrees centigrade.