Porcelain is the finest of clays, and because China is largely responsible for the clay arts, porcelain is also referred to as chinaware or china. The earliest evidence of ceramics dates 6000 years back in China's history to the New Stone Age. Ceramics from this period were mostly hand-formed vessels. The army of clay soldiers and horses discovered at Shaanxi, dating back to the Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.) provide evidence of a later, more sophisticated technique.

Horse
Tang Dynasty (618 - 907)
glazed earthenware
© Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
Gift of the Estate of Senator Hugh Scott.
photo: Katherine Wetzel.

The Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) is credited as the time at which China became world-renowned for its beautifully painted, tri-color glazed porcelain. Before the secrets of porcelain technique spread to Italy and France, China's porcelain was in high demand. Ceramics kilns developed wherever the fundamental requirements of clay, fuel, river systems, and markets could be found. Different minerals were ground into powder and mixed with fats and oils to produce colored paints such as cobalt blue, oxblood red, green and pale ivory. The paint adhered to a coat of glaze when the piece was fired in a kiln - similar to the way potters today create ceramic designs. As porcelain art developed, metals were added to the clay in designs embossed on the surface. The secrets of porcelain making were passed down through generations, lending a specificity of location to the variety of porcelains produced in China. Art historians are now able to trace the time periods and locations of different pieces based only on the style or type of porcelain (www.chinaetravel.com).

Teapot
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Blanc de Chine porcelain
© Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
Bequest of Forrest R. Brauer.
photo: Katherine Wetzel.