The discussion with other students via Hypothes.is was helpful and insightful. I studied the workforce behind and the types of kilns for porcelain from the readings. From my classmates’ posts and additional readings, I learned the history and production of porcelain. Porcelain was first made in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). It then was popularized and expanded in the following era, in the Ming dynasty (1368-1844). There are different kinds of porcelain, depending on the region and time period, and each have its own techniques, glazes, and appearances that make up its identity. Chinese porcelain was valuable in trade and ended up in various parts of the world. However, despite porcelain’s rich history, specific directions on how to create porcelain was not recorded or shared until the 17th century–several centuries after its discovery.
Similar to printmaking, there was a lack of attention to the creating process of porcelain until much later. The artists and laborers that make these important objects were also not the focus of history, despite their major role in society.
Things I Learned this Week
- There was an ambiguous coexistence between imperial and private kilns.
- Jingdezhen is known for the making of porcelain.
- Emperors oversaw the production process of porcelain because of how important the porcelain objects were.
Bibliographic References
Finlay, Robert. “The Pilgrim Art: The Culture of Porcelain in World History.” Journal of World History 9, no. 2 (1998): 141-87.
Gerritsen, Anne. The City of Blue and White : Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Ho, Soleil. “The Rich, Complex History Hiding Within Chinese Plate Designs”. Thrillist, June 10, 2019. URL: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/chinese-plate-design-history
