Jun Ware
THERE is a folk saying in China, “piles of gold aren’t worth a single piece of Jun porcelain,” which fully explains the value of Jun porcelain that has been fervently sought by Chinese collectors generation after generation. It first appeared in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and prevailed in the Song Dynasry (960-1279), reputed as a treasure of the country.
Jun porcelain wares, without flashy surfaces, glow deeply and moderately, a feature that reflects the nation’s character.
What’s most renowned about Jun porcelain is the glaze transmutation that occurs during firing in the kiln. With the same glaze, the porcelain wares can display different hues and patterns during firing. Different light and angles can add more changes to a porcelain ware. In addition, the products from the same kiln don’t necessarily show the same glaze color. Even the same porcelain product can have splashes of different hues and shapes, thus making it more mystic and enchanting.The most striking and distinctive Jun wares use blue to purple glaze colours, sometimes suffused with white, made with straw ash in the glaze.[5] They often show "splashes" of purple on blue, sometimes appearing as though random, though they are usually planned. A different group are "streaked" purple on blue,[6] the Chinese describing the streaks as "worm-tracks".
The glaze transmutation in firing Jun porcelain wares is associated with their specific craftsmanship. Special mineral materials of different colors are used in Jun porcelain making, containing multiple trace elements. In fact, lots of factors can influence the color change in firing porcelain products, for example different textures and shapes of wares and thickness of glaze. Very tiny changes in the production process can affect the final color. Even a ware’s position in a kiln during firing, the density of wares in the kiln, and fuel used all play their parts in creating the porcelain’s unique colors.
Another distinctive feature of Jun porcelain works is their “earthworm marks.” Usually Jun porcelain wares are covered with thick and sticky glaze. During cooling, some sunken parts of the surface, which are filled with glaze, will show marks like the ones left by an earthworm on the ground after a rain. These are the representative feature of Jun porcelain.
Its preciousness lies in its rarity. The high technical requirement for firing Jun porcelain works has greatly restrained its output. The volatile coloring effect, affected by such factors as temperature, cooling speed, positions in a kiln, fuel used in firing, and even season and climate, leads to an extremely low rate of finished products with around 70 percent scrapped.
Credit photo par Jin
