Antique Chinese Mudmen, The Collectors Guide by Myron Redding.

An absolutely must have for shiwan pottery figures.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDa6CBH7iq0

Would like to highly recommend this exceptional 560 page scholarly thesis, "A Study of Shiwan Pottery" by Fredrikke Scollard, Department of Fine Arts, University of Hong Kong, June 1981.
To describe this thesis as amazing is an understatement. 

In the first portion all existing materials regarding Shiwan, including history, archaeology, literary reference and legend, are put into a chronological framework.

The second portion of the study discusses the pottery products.

A special section is devoted to the specialties of the flower pot guilds whose long ceramic rooftop friezes depicted Foshan's theatrical arts, freezing a colorful moment in history.

Modernization in Shiwan is treated in chapter IV portion of the study which includes an examination of Shiwans re-organization and modernization in the context of overall developments in China and the major resulting changes in its art. A number of contemporary potter family trees demonstrate a strong family tradition.

Chapter V diagrams the development of Shiwan kiln technology and treats some technical and descriptive aspects of Shiwan biscuit glazes and production techniques.
 
The link for the pdf is from the HKU Scholars Hub.  It is first necessary to request the pdf by using the "file download (full text.pdf)" link. The pdf will immediately be emailed to you. It is only viewable for 24 hours before it is necessary to re-request if necessary.

Once the pdf is emailed to you, it is best to save it to your computer so it can be read at your convenience without re-requesting it.

Enjoy !  http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/35166

A Review of Chinese Art History in Shiwan Pottery (Part One)

Shiwan Wares, Exhibition Catalogue
https://tinyurl.com/rvu4n837

Ever since the Ming and particularly since the Qing period, Shiwan pottery made in Guangdong has generally been regarded as a local kiln product which specialized in the imitation of traditional wares rather than in achieving a distinctiveness of its own. To those who have paid any attention at all to Shiwan pottery, it is obvious that these potters imitated the glazes of other wares. The most important of these imitative glazes were the three color and the flambe. Imitation of the former had the intent of bringing back the specialty glaze of the low temperature three color earthenware which flourished mainly during the early to mid Tang period whereas the imitation of flambe was intended as a re appreciation of the Jun ware which had been fashionable during the end of the Northern Song period. In addition to these two main interests, the Guangdong potters also often imitated the classical Lungquan monochrome glazed pottery of the Northern Song and the Shu Ware polychrome glazed pottery of the Southern Song period, and many others.

Archaic elements preserved in Shiwan pottery however are not limited to the imitation of classical glazes, but also include classical shapes and typology. Thus far no one has paid full attention to this aspect of Shiwan pottery.

(1) Han Bronze Vessles and Archaic Jade Types Imitated in Shiwan Pottery

Continuing.......

The Origin and Development of the Shiwan Ceramic Industry

Shiwan Wares, Exhibition Catalogue
https://tinyurl.com/rvu4n837

The ceramic industry of Shiwan boasts of a long history. Its origin can be traced back to the Neolithic Age. The archaeological materials excavated since 1957 confirm this fact. Many chipped stone artifacts and a small number of chipped polished stone artifacts, coarse grained pottery with stone implements were discovered in several Neolithic sites at Xigiao Hill, 15 kilometers south east of Shiwan . The pottery discovered there has an even longer history than the "painted pottery" of the Yangshao culture which once dominated the loess highland of Upper Huang He, and the pottery unearthed at Wannian Xianren Dong of Jiangxi and Humudu of Zhejiang.

In recent years many tombs of the Warring States and the Han Dynasty were excavated at Lanshi, about 3 kilometers southeast of Shiwan. Amongst the many things buried with the dead, there is a great quantity of pottery articles, many of which are characteristic of South China, such as models of houses, paddy fields, and small boats, pottery bottle gourds, three linked jars, four linked jars, five linked jars, etc. This shows that they were fired in the locality.

In the Village of Qishi ( now a part of the Xiaotang commune, Nanhai ), about 15 kilometers northwest of Shiwan, there were heaps and heaps of ancient shards along a slpe about 3 kilometers east of the Shiwan River. Shards of the Tang Dynasty and of the Northern Song Dynasty might be found everywhere there. Some of them bear such inscriptions as "Jiayou" (1057 - 1063) and "the sixth year of Zhenghe" (1116). With regard to clay, glazing, and firing technique, the pottery found is basically the same as that of Shiwan. It is noteworthy that no shards fired after the Northern Song Dynasty has been discovered in Qishi, which is a clear indication that the ceramic industry of Qishi declined after the Northern Song Dynasty, while that of Shiwan continued to thrive.

Shiwan began its change into a manufacturing center of trade pottery in the Tang/Song period, and became prosperous in the Ming and Qing dynasties. This development was closely related to the opening of Guangzhou to foreign trade. After the Tang Dynasty, Guangzhou occupied a pivotal position in China's communication with overseas countries, and it also played a crucial part in cultural exchange between China and the West. Ships sailed from Guangzhou to India, Ceylan and further west, Arabia, via Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, etc. During the Tang Dynasty, a Shi Bo Si (a customers house) was established in Guangzhou to take charge of import and export duties. Besides silk fabrics, ceramics were on of the chief exports of China. Guangzhou's trade with South east Aisa became even better developed in the Song Dynasty. At that time an even greater quantity of ceramics was exported and as in the Tang Dynasty, a Shi Bo Si was established in Guangzhou to look after foreign trade.

Guangzhou continued to be an important port in the Yuan Dynasty, its trade with overseas countries became even more prosperous than before. Ceramics still occupied an important place in the exports of Guangzhou. They included porcelains with greenish white decorations and pottery wares for daily use, such as urns, coarse boals, large water jars, bottles and pots, which were all of practical use tot he people. This shows that the pottery wares were as important an export as porcelains. Many of these pottery wares must have come from Shiwan.

Furthermore, great quantities of pottery wares for daily use were exported to South East Asia, including cooking utensils manufactured in Shiwan, utensils for cooking rice, porridge and medicinal hers, basins, boxes, etc. These utensils were unadorned, hard, refined, durable, and light with thin body. The local inhabitants and overseas Chinese liked to use them. The people of the East Indies, which were then under Dutch rule, were particularly fond of the "dragon phoenix urns" manufactured in Shiwan, in which they stored valuable clothes and other articles. The natives of Borneo had the custom of Burying their dead in urn coffins, and Chinese pottery urn, looked upon as holy, were used on most occasions. Most of the pottery urn which were in brown or green glaze, and sometimes decorated with carvings of dragons and other designs were manufactured in Shiwan.

The Shiwan ceramic industry has a long history. As a manufacturing center of trade ceramics, it has behind it the experience of industrious potters of over one thousand three hundred years, who devoted their wisdom and talents to the manufacture of numerous wares mainly for use of the people of Guangdong and Guangxi. Some of the wares were also exported, and found great favor with the peoples of South East Asia and overseas Chinese.

Decorative Shiwan pottery figures for temple rooftops constitute another category of Shiwan pottery figures. They are different in terms of carving techniques. Shiwan potters first build up the basic core of the body using a piece of clay before applying additional clay appendages for modelling. These roof friezes consist mainly of operatic, historical, mythological, folkloric and legendary figures, and are usually frontally inclined, providing a better angle for viewing. Each episode of the stories is well connected. Such friezes were manufactured by Shiwan pottery workshops such as Wen Rubi, Junyu and Baoyu during the reigns of the Tongzhi and Guangxu emperors of the Qing dynasty.