Subscribe to free Email Newsletter

The real Chinese porcelain came into being in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). The great development of pottery and primitive porcelain firing techniques, the migration of northerners to the south and the popularization of lavish burials in the Eastern Han Dynasty, contributed a lot to the emergence of Chinese porcelain. A region centered by Shangyu in Zhejiang Province, east of China, developed into the original place of Chinese porcelain. The Four-Handle Water-WaveCeladon Jar, made in the Eastern Han Dynasty and unearthed in Shangyu County of Zhejiang Province, shows the initial development of China's porcelain firing techniques.

The Four-Handle Water-WaveCeladon Jaris 20 cm high with a caliber of 11 cm. The jar has a flat and straight mouth, a relatively short neck, a round belly and a flat bottom. The four rings on the shoulder of the jar can be roped to carry water. Upper the rings are decorative lines with the patterns of waves. The celadon glaze is bright and clear, coated with blackish yellow glaze. The roughcast seen at the bottom of the jar shows the porcelain character. All these demonstrated that the jar has achieved the standard of real Chinese porcelain, and is one of the earliest celadon products in China. The jar is now collected by the Antique Administrative Committee of Shangyu.

From the Four-Handle Water-WaveCeladon Jar, we can see that during this period, the glaze and roughcast, the design and the celadon firing techniques had undergone rapid development, though to some extent was still immature. The Four-Handle Water-WaveCeladon Jarmarked an important milestone in the development of Chinese porcelain making. After that, China's porcelain making craft developed prosperously.