A Preliminary Study On Porcelain Producing Techniques Of Ru Ware In Northern Song Dynasty

Ru Ware has become one of the most famous forms of Chinese Porcelain,which could only be used by the imperial family of Northern Song Dynasty.It has an equal fame of Guan Ware,Ge Ware,Ding Ware and Jun Ware.This study of porcelain producing technique is based on the narrow sense concept of Ru Ware.The central producing area has a dimension about 4800 square metre,locating at the North-Centre of Qingliangsi village,Baofeng County,Henan Province.Because the duration of Ru Ware producing is short and only less than 100 items of Ru Ware are handed-down,it seems impossible to find the detailed producing process in official record of ancient China.The objects of the study are Ru Ware items handed-down from Northern Song Dynasty and the ruins and relics excavated from Ru Ware Site at Qingliangsi.The possible producing time of the objects is from 1086 A.D.to 1125 A.D.The main purposes of this study are the preliminary discussion of the process and unique features of Ru Ware producing techniques.Meanwhile,the origin and influence of the techniques will be involved in the study as well.The first chapter of the dissertation introduces the overview of the archaeological excavation of the Ru Ware Site.Ru Ware Site locates at the North-Centre of Qingliangsi Village.The site has unearthed important ruins,such as workshops,kilns,filters,trenches,clarified mud pools and craters.Significant relics,such as raw material,glaze,agate blocks,unglazed chips,porcelain chips and so on,are unearthed as well.The ruins and relics excavated reflect the process and technological characteristics of the producing process of Ru Ware and provide material evidences for the study.The second chapter of this dissertation makes a preliminary discussion about Ru Ware producing process,which includes raw material selection and processing,preparation of preform body and glaze,molding and decoration,bisque firing and glazing,glost firing.The unique features of Ru Ware producing techniques are summarized in this chapter,such as adding agate into the glaze to improve the quality,using mold to form the body of products which reflects the standardization of the producing process,the structure of kilns are optimized by improving the relative volume of fire chamber in the kiln,applying refractory clay outside the sagger in order to crate better atmosphere for the glaze to appear celadon.The third chapter discusses the origin and the influence of producing techniques of Ru Ware.By comparing the features of producing techniques of Ru Ware,Guan Ware of Southern Song and the Zhanggongxiang Ware,the producing techniques of Ru Ware is developed on the basis of the craft making process of local civic wares in Ruzhou,absorbing the techniques of famous wares in Tang and Song Dynasties such as Yaozhou Ware and Yue Ware.The producing techniques of Ru Ware was inherited and developed by Guan Ware of Southern Song and had important influence on the civic wares in Ruzhou.