Study on the Green Glaze from Qionglai Kiln Site in Sichuan: One of the Earliest Phase-Separated Opaque Glazes in China
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Study on the Green Glaze from Qionglai Kiln Site in Sichuan: One of the Earliest Phase-Separated Opaque Glazes in China Weidong Li, Jun Wu, Jiazhi Li, Jingkun Guo Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
Abstract The Qionglai kiln site is a famous folk kiln site in Sichuan province, China, of the Tang dynasty (618∼907 A.D.). The wares from Qionglai kiln site bear a unique national style and striking local features. A series of opaque green-glazed shards with mild gloss and jade-like feel, excavated from Shifangtang kiln site were selected as test samples. The glaze and body compositions and microstructures of the shards were studied by means of EDXRF, FESEM and DTEM/SAD/EDS. The study has demonstrated that the opaque green glazes from Qionglai kiln site are high-temperature calciamagnesia-silicate glazes and that typical phase-separated glazes of the “droplet structure”. The isolated droplets are rich in SiO2 and the matrix is rich in oxides of Ca, Mg, P, Ti and Fe. We have shown that Al2O3 suppresses phase separation. The droplet diameter falls in the range of 0.1∼0.4 _m, causing intensive light scattering, and resulting in good opacification and jade-like texture. The green Glaze from Qionglai Kiln Site is one of the earliest phase-separated opaque glazes in China. The study also shows that there is a close relationship of compositions between Qionglai kiln and Changsha kiln.
Introduction Qionglai kiln, located at Qionglai county in Sichuan province, is a famous folk kiln in China. Qionglai kiln began in the Nan dynasty (420∼589 A.D.), flourished in the Tang dynasty (618∼907 A.D.), and declined in the intermediate and late stages of the Southern Song dynasty (1127∼1279 A.D.). The main products of Qionglai kiln are ornamental and household wares. The glazes applied on wares can be classified into low temperature lead glazes and high-temperature lime glazes, sometimes enhanced by overglaze or underglaze decoration[1 ] . Qionglai kilns include Wayaoshan kiln site, Jianzishan kiln site, Dayucun kiln site and Shifangtang kiln site, among which Shifangtang kiln is the largest one with typical features of the Tang dynasty[2]. A series of green-glazed shards with mild gloss and jade-like opaque appearance, excavated from Shifangtang kiln site, were selected as test samples. The glaze and body compositions and microstructures of the shards were systematically studied to illustrate the relations among composition, microstructure and surface appearance. Since the wares from Qionglai kiln are quite similar to those from Changsha kiln in shape, appearance and decoration, the opinion that there is a close correlation between the two kilns has been extensively accepted by the scholars. In this study, a comparison between the compositions of the likekind opaque glazed wares from the two kilns has been made.
Experimental The six opaque green glazed shards, numbered as QL1∼QL6, are shown in Fig.1. Ring striae can be identified on the unglazed areas of the bodies, indicating the
