Theoperationwaslocatedintoday鈥檚CixianCounty(CizhouintheSongDynasty)andFengfengDistrictofHandanCity,HebeiProvince.Itwaslaunchedinthefifthcentury,reacheditszenithinthe10thto14thcenturies,andhasremainedinbusinesstilltoday.Duringuninterruptedproductionforoveramillennium,ithasdevelopedagenreofdistinctiveethnicandregionalfeatures.
TheCizhouKilnproducesalargevolumeofwaresglazedinvarioushues,includingwhite,black,puce,andgreen,amongwhichwhiteisthemostloved.Themajorityofthepiecesarefordailyuse,includingtablewares,vases,washingbasins,jars,brushwashers,andpillows.Itsceramicpillowscomeinadazzlingvarietyofshapesanddesigns.
TheCizhouKilnstoodoutforitsdecorativetechniquesthatoutdidthoseofthetopfivekilnsoftheSongDynastyRu,Guan,Jun,Ge,andDing,andthereforehasanimportantpositionintheChineseandinternationalceramicdevelopment.ThesetechniquesofoverthreedozendrewonChineseinkpaintingandcalligraphy,andcreatedengravedorpaintedmotifsinblackorsepiaonawhitesurface.Themostvalued,andalsorarest,isthoseofblackpatternsonwhitebackground.
TheblackpigmentusedontheCizhouwareismadeofpiebaldstone,whichcanbefoundlocally.Afteritisappliedonawhiteglaze,thepotterswouldcoverthewholeitemwithalayeroffinelygroundclayforprotectionand鈥渕akeup鈥漮ftheglaze.Thiscosmeticclay,asitiscommonlyknown,makesthesurfacewhiterandbrighter.Thisrelativelymatureunderglazedtechniquelaidthegroundforthecreationofblue-and-whiteandpolychromeporcelainoflatertimes.
Besidesflowerypatterns,Cizhouwareisalsoadornedwithpoems,mostlybyscholarsoftheperiod.Theyarevaluablematerialsforstudyofthateraofhistory.Withoutrestrictionsforthedesignofitsstate-runpeers,theCizhouKilnfeltfreetoborrowprofuselyfromnaturefordecorativepatterns,whichincludedlandscape,clouds,mythologicalandreallifeanimals鈥揹ragons,phoenixes,tigers,horses,anddeeramongothers鈥揳ndbirds.Theygiveitsproductsanappealing,folksytouchthatappealedtothecommoners.
Widelylovedbythepopulace,theCizhouwaresawsoaringdemand,whichpromptedotherkilnsinnorthernChinatoimitateit.Gradually,asprawlingproductionnetworkofprivateoperations鈥搕helargestinancientChina鈥揷ameintobeing,radiatingfromGuantaiTownofHandanCitytoHenan,Shandong,Jiangxi,Fujian,andSichuanprovinces.TheyproducedceramicitemssimilartotheCizhouwareinlargevolumes.
AlthoughovershadowedbythetopfiveofficialkilnsoftheSongDynasty,theCizhouKilnhasgainedafirmfootholdinthemarketandintheceramichistoryofChinaforitsfreehandstyle.Thepaintingsandcalligraphiesonitsproductsareofafreeandeasyaestheticthatbetraystheirartisticsophistication.TheyarealsoagoodreferenceforstudyofthecustomsandfolkartoftheSongandlaterdynasties.Withitsgreatvitalityandpopularity,theCizhouKilnisnowoneofthelargestceramicbrandsinChina,andexportstocountriesaroundtheworld.
SONGXIAOYANisacourseplannerofantiquechinawareattheAncientPorcelainCourtyardMuseum.OctagonalCizhouPillow(PalaceMuseuminBeijing)
Thewhiteceramicpillowisframedinblack,withthebulgingverticaledgesinbambooshape.Thetopispaintedwithablackpeonywhosepedalsandleavesareengravedtoshowtheveins.ItsdesignisatypicaloftheCizhouKilnoftheSongDynasty,andisbelievedtobeofahigh-endproductline.
CizhouPlumVaseofFloweryDesign(FujianFolkMuseum)
Thisitemhasashortneck,slidingshouldersandaslenderbodyfullycoveredinblackpatternsonawhitesurface.Themotifsshiftfromwavesattheshoulderstopeonyonthebellyandagainwavesonthelowerpartofthebody,withstringpattern(parallellines)inbetween.
CizhouWhite-GlazedPillowwithIncisedFloralSpraysofPeony(ShaanxiHistoryMuseum)
Theoval-shapedpillowisfullycoveredinivory-huedglaze.Thetopisincisedwithfloralspraysofpeonyanddenselystuddedwith鈥減earls鈥漣ntherestofthespace,bothfluidlyoutlined.Thebacksideispierced.