Sunday, July 19, 2009

Transmutation Porcelain (Yao Bian Ci)

By David Cheng

Transmutation porcelain is a peculiar art where the artists are not trained to paint traditional images on the items they make. Instead, colors and remarkable patterns form right in the glaze of the piece.

But how do they make such unique designs?

Various metals are mixed into the glaze that is used on transmutation porcelain. These metals will change color at high temperatures, which makes for some very unpredictable results.

In ancient China, some potters even achieved patterns that looked like the faces of their emperors!

It's almost impossible to predict the final result: kiln temperature, the quantity of each metallic element in the glaze, and the direction you brush glaze on all contribute to the final design. So no image can ever be made twice.

This is why collectors around the world adore transmutation porcelain. When pure chance creates a beautiful piece of art, most people can't resist.

The first man to make a transmutation porcelain piece lived in the Song dynasty almost 1,100 years ago. When he saw the vivid colors, he thought there was black magic afoot and quickly smashed everything!

Nowadays, collectors around the world love this kind of porcelain, and some people pay extreme prices for just one work by a respected potter.

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