>Chinese ceramics and early porcelain

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Chinese ceramics and early porcelain
(206 BC-14th c.)

The Song dynasty (960-1279) marked the height of development of Chinese stoneware which allowed the production of a variety of forms. Strict control of the amount of oxygen in kilns was achieved and new kinds of glaze were developed which produced a greenish tone called celadon. There were regional workshops in both north and south with a varying quality of ceramic body and techniques of decoration.

From the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) the history of Chinese ceramics is the history of the development of porcelain. In the 2nd half of the 14th c. blue was used for the decoration of porcelain made with cobalt oxide from Persia, and workshops and kilns were concentrated in Jingdezhen.